The Weekend Perplexity
by NerdForestGirl
Summary: Sheldon is on his own when Leonard and Penny go away for the weekend, so he invites Amy to come over.
1. Chapter 1

** A/N: This is a new story that has nothing to do with either of my previous Shamy stories. **

* * *

"I'll be fine, Leonard," Sheldon told him for the fourth time. "I survived all that time that you were gone. I'm a grown man, and I think I can survive a weekend without you."

"Are you sure? Raj is still in India visiting his family and Howard won't drop everything to help you if there is a problem," Leonard countered. His friend had made it through the time he was away surprisingly well, but there were still plenty of fires that Penny had to put out during that time. Sheldon didn't do well on his own even if it was for a short time. He'd managed to lock himself out of the apartment when they went to Vegas for one weekend. At least Penny had been around to take care of him then. With both of them going away for a romantic weekend, Leonard was a little worried about his friend.

"Maybe I'll have Amy come over for the weekend if you are so worried about me. You obviously don't trust me, but maybe she'll ease your mind?"

That stopped Leonard short. Sheldon was going to invite his girlfriend over for the weekend? Maybe he just meant during the day because Leonard could not see her staying overnight.

"She'd do that?" Leonard asked.

"Of course she would. I'm offended that you don't trust me to be alone for one weekend, but Amy likes sleeping here. It shouldn't take too much convincing."

"Amy has slept here before?"

"What do you think I did while you were gone? Honestly, Leonard. I did not sit here alone waiting for the day you walked back through the door."

Leonard was still confused. "Are you and Amy sleeping together?"

"Why on Earth would you think that?" Sheldon said.

"You just said that she slept here."

"Yes. She either slept in your room or on the couch. We are completely capable of sleeping in the same apartment without engaging in intercourse."

Of course Sheldon would have platonic sleepovers with his girlfriend of three years. "I'm not saying I don't trust you. I'm just saying that I won't be rushing back from San Francisco if you have any problems."

"I'll call Amy later. I'm sure that she will be happy enough to come over if it will ease your mind," Sheldon said before stalking back to his room.

Leonard didn't tell his friend, but it did make him feel better to have Amy near by. As his relationship with Penny had gotten stronger, Leonard was glad that Sheldon had Amy.

By the time Friday morning came around, everything had been settled. Just as Sheldon predicted, Amy was happy to spend the weekend with him. Leonard was going to drop Sheldon off at work on the way to the airport and Amy was going to drive him home again that night.

"I'm serious, Sheldon. Don't you dare call me for anything less than a life or death emergency. Penny and I really need this weekend. We haven't had much time alone since before I went to the North Sea."

"I won't. Have a good trip. Although, I still think you are making a mistake not taking the train. Remember how much fun we had when we took the train to San Francisco a couple years ago?"

"I don't remember any fun. I remember being humiliated by Summer Glau while you fought with Penny over the phone for half the trip."

"You weren't humiliated by Summer Glau. She just left the train before you got to hit on her."

"Same difference. Now get out of my car so that I can get to the airport," Leonard said. Penny had fallen asleep in the backseat because seven was too early for her to be up. She thought it was practically the middle of the night.

Sheldon went into work and had a productive day. He was in the middle of solving some equations when his phone pinged to let him know that Amy was texting him.

Hi, Sheldon. I'm here to take you home.

He smiled a little bit to himself. He sent a quick reply asking her if she could wait. If anyone else was out there, he would have just told them to wait. Amy's time, on the other hand, was valuable, so he wanted to make sure that she would be okay with waiting until he was finished.

That's fine, Sheldon. I'll be at the coffee shop around the corner. Text me when you are done or just come find me.

Sheldon knew the coffee shop she was talking about very well. He didn't drink coffee, but that was the shop where they had first met. He would sometimes walk there and buy himself a cup of tea alone. It was sentimental hogwash, but he still found himself drawn to the place where his life had been irrevocably changed.

He finished up his work and decided to just walk over to find Amy rather than call her back. He opened the door and saw her there. Amy's back was to him and she was bent over a book. Her coffee sat undisturbed with an untouched scone sitting next to it. She was completely absorbed in whatever she was reading.

Sheldon bought himself a cup of tea and a cookie before going to join her. Amy only looked up when he pulled the chair out from the table to sit down.

"Sorry. I'm waiting for... you," she said with a smile when she realized it was Sheldon. "I thought someone was going to try to steal the chair. Did you get everything done?"

"Well, one can hardly 'get everything done' regarding physics, but yes, I finished the equations that I was working on. Thanks for waiting."

"No problem," Amy said as she took a sip of her coffee. She made a face and set it back down. "It's cold," she explained.

"Do you want me to get you a new one?" Sheldon asked.

Sheldon had become a lot more thoughtful over the summer. She wasn't sure if it was because they had spent so much time together, so he understood her more or if it had something to do with temporarily losing his best friend. Amy was just glad that he hadn't been slipping back now that Leonard was home. He was still fundamentally Sheldon, but it was nice to have a boyfriend who offered to buy her a new cup of coffee when she let hers get cold or willingly grabbed her hand when they went to the movies.

"It's fine. Thank you, though," Amy told him. "Do you have any ideas of what we should do this weekend?"

"I was thinking that we could go to the zoo tomorrow. There have been some new baby gibbons born there. Would you like to go see them?"

"That would be lovely. Is there anything else you want to do?"

"I still need to do my laundry tomorrow night, but vintage video game night is off for tonight as is paintball on Sunday. My weekend is in shambles as it is. Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, Neil Gaiman is signing copies of his new book on Sunday. I thought that we could go see him."

"You like Neil Gaiman?"

"Of course I like Neil Gaiman. He's written some of my favorite books," Amy said defensively.

"Did you know he created one of the best comic book series I've ever read?"

"He did?" Amy asked. She didn't know the man's entire bibliography, but she did like some of his books.

"Yes. I'll have to show you _The Sandman_ when we get home. It's brilliant."

Amy slammed the rest of her cold coffee. She was ready to go to Sheldon's. "Ready to go? Should we pick up dinner on the way back?"

"That sounds perfect. I can check the tangerine chicken that way," Sheldon said. He picked up some of Amy's books from the table and carried them out to her car.

Sheldon did show Amy his collection of _Sandman_ comics when they got home. Well, after they ate, washed up, and Sheldon found Amy a pair of reading gloves. Amy typically hated Sheldon's comics, but she had to admit that these ones were pretty interesting. They were darker than she had expected. Amy got sucked into the story and spent most of the nigh curled up on the opposite side of the couch from Sheldon reading while he played his vintage video games alone.

It wasn't until he said her name for the third time that Amy realized that Sheldon was talking to her. "Amy, it's nearly eleven o'clock. I'm going to go to bed."

"Okay," Amy said. Sheldon hesitated.

"What's wrong? Do you want me to join you?" Amy said with a smirk.

Sheldon thought about it and he kind of _did_ want her to go to bed with him. Then he shook the thought from his head. Those kinds of thoughts were becoming more common, but not more comfortable.

"I changed the sheets on Leonard's bed this morning before we went to work, so you can sleep in there if you want," Sheldon finally said before getting up and going back to his room.

Amy just stared after him for a moment before going back to her reading. _Is he getting weirder or do I just forget how strange he can be?_ Amy thought.

It was well after midnight when Amy finally put the graphic novels down and went to bed. The apartment was quiet as she slipped into Leonard's bedroom. The walls were thin in the apartment, so she tried to be quiet as she changed into her nightgown and got ready for bed. After she brushed her teeth, Amy passed by Sheldon's door when she heard her name.

Amy opened the door to apologize for waking Sheldon up when he muttered her name again and turned over. He was clearly still asleep, so Amy silently closed the door and went back into Leonard's room.

"He dreams about me," Amy whispered to herself. That fact made it hard for Amy to fall asleep despite the late hour. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on in Sheldon's head only a few feet from her own. Finally, she did drift off to sleep where she could have her own dreams about Sheldon.


	2. Chapter 2

Amy was confused when she woke up. She was being shaken awake by Sheldon.

"Amy it's already nine. The zoo is going to open in an hour, so you need to get up and have breakfast and get dressed."

Amy tried to figure out what Sheldon was doing in her apartment before she remembered that she was in Leonard's bedroom. "Okay. I'm getting up."

"I usually have cereal on Saturdays. Do you want something else?"

"Cereal is fine. Can you give me a moment to wake up?"

Sheldon walked out of the room. Amy fell back onto the pillows again. She was still very tired, but there was no way that Sheldon would let her stay in bed. She groaned and slid out of the bed. Then she found her robe and went to join Sheldon.

He was in the kitchen and displayed the cereal choices like it was a game show. Amy picked something neutral sounding and he poured her a bowl. She went to the couch and ate her cereal while Sheldon flipped through the TV channels, looking for something to watch. It was quiet and comfortable in a way that Amy rarely felt around other people.

They got to the zoo about fifteen minutes after it opened, but it was already packed full of people. It was a beautiful day to spend looking at animals. It was usually busy when they visited the zoo, but that day seemed particularly busy.

"Do you still want to do this?" Amy asked. She knew that Sheldon didn't always handle crowds very well. She always wondered how he managed to go to comic conventions because they were always packed full of people.

"Yes. I will be fine," Sheldon said as they got out of the car.

As usual, they wandered from exhibit to exhibit. They always stayed a little longer at the koalas and the monkeys and the penguins. They also moved quickly from the elephants because Sheldon was definitely not a fan of the smell.

After a couple of hours, they stopped for lunch. They spent most of the time talking about _The Sandman_ while they ate. Amy thought it was strange that given that their work and hobbies so rarely overlapped that they rarely ran out of things to talk about. Then, even if they did, it was rarely awkward. They were just good at spending time together.

As they returned to the zoo proper, Sheldon suggested that they go see the baby animals. It was, in fact, the reason that they had gone to the zoo in the first place. Amy thought they were cute. She was looking in one of the windows when one of baby gibbons was yawning. Without thinking, she grabbed Sheldon's arm and pulled him close to her so he could see. Once she realized that she was holding his hand, she dropped it with an apology. He just smiled at her. He didn't mind touching the way he once did, and he liked that she knew him enough that she would even be concerned about it.

Amy was tired and wanted out of the sun for a little while, so she dragged Sheldon into the lizard and snake house. It was still warm, but it was a little darker inside. They looked at the snakes safely locked behind glass. Amy told Sheldon that she was glad that he wasn't a wizard because she liked the snakes best behind the glass. He gave her a small laugh in return.

It wasn't until they were several yards in that Sheldon realized that there were birds flying around in the exhibit. They never went into the lizard house on normal trips, so they didn't know about the birds. Sheldon pointed them out and moved on to the next room with Amy hurrying along behind him.

"I thought you weren't afraid of birds anymore?" Amy asked as soon as they were behind the door.

"What would give you that idea? Did you know that there were birds in here because you should have told me."

"I had no idea that there were birds in here. I just thought after that bluebird in your apartment that you liked birds now."

"I like that one bird. The rest of them still terrify me."

"Well, we've moved on."

"Right. Fine," Sheldon said. He started walking again, but soon enough he stopped again. "Amy, those are bats," he said pointing to the glass and rock display in front of them.

"They are behind glass. They aren't like the birds."

"They're worse than the birds. They are like rats and birds combined. We need to go back," Sheldon told her.

"Back to the birds?" Amy asked.

Sheldon just stopped and turned his head back toward the door leading to the birds and then back to the bats.

"If you've ever wanted to be Batman, then you need to be a little traumatized by some bats. Let's go forward, and you can be one step closer to becoming Batman," Amy told him. She wasn't mocking him, but she wasn't being serious either. Still Sheldon grabbed her hand, squeezed it, and then started walking toward the bats.

Amy felt him shutter a little when they walked past the display, so she squeezed his hand slightly. Soon enough they were to the lizards and Sheldon was fine again. Except, the didn't drop Amy's hand. He just kept hold of it until they were back out the doors.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Amy asked

"It was terrible and I never want to go back in there ever again," Sheldon said.

"Well, we survived it. Are you ready to go home?"

"Can we get a snow cone first?" Sheldon asked like he was one of the many children surrounding them.

"Yeah. Come on," Amy said pulling Sheldon along. She grabbed his hand again.

They each ordered their own snow cone. Amy had never had one before, so it took her longer than Sheldon to figure out which flavor she wanted. By the time she was done, Sheldon was standing outside eating his with a spoon. Amy joined him.

"This is pretty good," she commented.

Sheldon smiled back at her. There were several children having a foot race that seemed to involve making a turn at Sheldon and Amy. They were afraid to move because they didn't want to crash into any of the kids. One of them bumped into Amy throwing her into Sheldon's arms while they both managed to keep their snow cones from spilling. This would be one of those romantic movie moments, but then one of the other kids stopped and threw up on Sheldon's shoes.

Sheldon released Amy and made sure she was standing up straight. Sheldon then kicked his shoes off without touching them. Then he took several steps back in his socks. He sort of just stood there in shock, but he was very calm. The mother of the child came over and started apologizing profusely, but Sheldon just shook his head. She offered to have the shoes cleaned, but Sheldon just asked her to throw them away for him.

Amy was concerned about Sheldon. He was so eerily calm that she wanted to get him out of there before he had some sort of a melt down. She put her arm behind his back and steered him out of the zoo. His breath was becoming erratic and Amy wanted to get him out of there. She was trying to touch him as little as she could while trying to keep control of the situation. Once he was safely seated in her car, she told him to take off his socks. He did as he was told and she threw them away in the small trash bag in her car.

Sheldon had also folded himself into a ball much smaller than his 6'2" frame should allow. His eyes were closed and he was breathing heavily. Amy was worried about him. She turned toward him and spoke gently.

"Sheldon, look at me," Amy said, but he stayed still, so she tried again until he did.

Amy stared into those impossibly blue eyes and said, "It's okay. You are okay. We are away from all of that mess. We'll go buy you some new clean shoes and everything will be okay."

It took another few minutes, but Sheldon finally uncurled his legs from his chest and started breathing normally. He didn't say anything, but Amy could tell that he was going to hold it together for the time being, so she started her car.

Amy then drove to a big box store and left Sheldon in the car. She returned a short time later when a package of sport socks and a cheap pair of shoes in Sheldon's size. She handed them to him once she was back in the car.

"Why did you get me these?" Sheldon asked.

"So that we can go shoe shopping," Amy told him.

"You bought me shoes so that we can go shoe shopping?"

"I was assuming that you wouldn't want to walk from the parking lot into the shoe store without any shoes on. You needed the socks anyway if you are going to be trying on shoes."

Sheldon was filled with that urge that had been bothering him lately. He wanted to hug or kiss Amy when she proved that she understood him so completely. It was frustrating and he didn't know how to express this feeling. It wasn't one he had had growing up or ever. When Sheldon told his MeeMaw about this feeling, she told him to act on it. He wasn't sure he was brave enough, but he thought about a it a lot.

Sheldon came back to the present as Amy pulled into the parking lot of a shoe store. They went inside and Amy patiently waited while Sheldon tried on a dozen different pairs of shoes. She was feeling her lack of sleep. Once Sheldon found a pair of shoes that suited him, he paid and then they went home.

Sheldon sat in his spot and Amy sat next to him, but she started inching away toward the other side of the couch. She was planning on lying down and taking a short nap there before they got dinner. Instead, Sheldon noticed her moving away from him.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"I was just going to lie down on the other side of the couch. I'm pretty tired from the long day," she told him.

Sheldon was struck by inspiration. "You'll have more room if you just put your feet down there and lean into me," he told her.

"You mean, like, cuddling?"

"Well. Yes, I suppose it is like cuddling. We've both had a long day, so we could use some rest and some company," Sheldon finally told her.

Amy wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so she just nodded her head. It was as awkward as when they had last cuddled, but she still liked it. At first, the novelty of it kept her from falling asleep, but she could hear Sheldon's calm and even breathing and that eventually pulled her into sleep.

Sheldon fell asleep too. In fact, he didn't wake up until it was already eight o'clock. They had missed dinner and it was nearly time for him to start his laundry. With the zoo and the shoe shopping and the cuddling, he hadn't been able to sort his clothes yet. Amy was still leaning into his side, asleep, and he didn't know what to do. He tried to extract himself from her, but she woke up.

"Sorry. I need to start my laundry," he told her.

"Oh, right," Amy said sitting up. She looked around for her glasses because she didn't remember taking them off. They were on the table next to where Sheldon was sitting. He must have taken them off of her after she'd fallen asleep.

Amy went to pick up dinner. She'd become so used to Sheldon's schedule over the summer that she didn't even have to ask him what he wanted. When she got back to 2311 Los Robles, Sheldon was in the laundry room in the basement. Sheldon was willing to leave his clothes alone in the laundry room for this one exception because he didn't want to eat down there. It seemed like the lesser of two evils to leave his things unattended. The nap with Amy had screwed up his already altered schedule, but he couldn't find it in himself to be upset about it. In fact, it felt like the best thing that had happened all day.

After they ate, Amy helped Sheldon fold his clothes. Then Sheldon was ready to go to bed. He was still tired after his long day, but Amy wanted to stay up. She wondered how they would ever combine their schedules if they slept in the same bed. With Sheldon, it didn't seem likely to happen any time soon. Though, maybe if he invited her to bed with him, she might be willing to go to bed a little earlier.

Sheldon got up from the couch and started walking to his room, but then he doubled back to Amy. He was feeling that urge to kiss her again, but he settled for a hug. Amy was stunned. Still she felt herself easily putting her arms around him and breathing in his scent until he pulled away.


	3. Chapter 3

Amy went to bed in Leonard's room again. It was harder than she would have thought to be so close to Sheldon, but separated by those thin walls. She wanted to sneak into Sheldon's room and see if he was dreaming about her again. Or maybe just cuddle up to him again. Instead, Amy stayed where she was and remembered how it felt to have Sheldon's arms wrapped around her.

If Amy had crept into Sheldon's room, she would have found him lying there still awake. It was rare that Sheldon had trouble falling asleep, but when he did, Amy was usually the reason. He was having trouble forgetting the dreams from the night before.

Those dreams were getting worse, but Sheldon didn't know how to stop them. In the dreams they might be just holding hands or they might be doing much much more than that. Sheldon shivered when he thought about it. It was something that he never thought he would want to do, but his dreaming mind conjured images of him kissing her, of tasting her, of caressing her soft skin. There must be some part of him that wanted that kind of life with her. He supposed that part was getting stronger. What else would have led him to hold her while they napped on the couch or hugged her before going to bed?

The pair lie awake in separate rooms wishing, to some degree, that they were with each other. They each eventually fell asleep.

Sheldon woke up and looked at the clock. It was nearly ten. He overslept by almost two and a half hours, so he jumped out of bed to get his day started. If he hadn't been in such a hurry to get ready for his day, he might have noticed that the shower was already running. But he didn't. At least not until he was already in the bathroom.

"Sheldon?" Amy asked from behind the Periodic Table shower curtain.

"Um," Sheldon said. He knew he should leave the bathroom immediately, but his body wouldn't catch up with his brain.

Amy pulled the curtain back slightly to peer at Sheldon. He was standing there looking alarmed, but he wasn't making any attempt to leave. He just stared at her. He couldn't see much through the curtain, but he was still in the same room as a naked Amy Farrah Fowler. She looked so different without her glasses and with her wet hair falling down onto her bare shoulder. Sheldon felt like his brain had short circuited. Eventually, he snapped back into reality and ran out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Amy was a little shaken by what happened, so she hurried to finish rinsing off and getting dressed. She wasn't sure if she was just startled by his sudden appearance or hurt that he had run out so quickly. She didn't know why he was in there in the first place, but he ran as if she had hurt him.

Sheldon was sitting in his spot, still in his pajamas when Amy appeared in the living room. He couldn't quite meet her eye when she greeted him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear the shower running when I went in there," he told her while looking at the coffee table.

"It's okay. No harm done," Amy said, though she wasn't sure she believed it. He had been so affectionate the day before. It was like it had inflated her like a balloon, only to feel like she'd been deflated again.

He looked at her finally. "Really?"

"Yeah, Sheldon. It was an accident," Amy told him.

Sheldon tried to believe that. He was relatively sure that he hadn't heard the water running before he opened that door, but he never made mistakes like that. He had superior hearing and usually paid enough attention that it was so unusual for him to just barge into the bathroom like that.

Sheldon nodded and went to take his own shower. He spent most of that time trying not to think about Amy. It would only complicate things.

When he came back out, Amy was on the other side of the couch from his spot. Sheldon found that he was disappointed by this. He wasn't sure what he would have done if she was next to him, but he felt that urge to touch her again.

"What are you reading?" he asked even though he could see that she was still reading his comics. Then he leaned over toward her as if to see.

Amy held up the comic to show him. She wondered why he was leaning toward her, but she turned the book a little bit so that he could see it. It looked like he was trying to read it from there, so she slid closer to him. "Do you want this one back? I can read something else," Amy told him.

"Um. No, this is fine. We can read it together," Sheldon said. Then he tried to do something that he had never done before; he tried to casually put his arm around Amy. Unfortunately, it didn't go nearly as smoothly as he hoped. Sheldon didn't lift his arm high enough and he accidentally bonked Amy on the forehead with his forearm.

"Ow. Why did you do that?" Amy asked as she grabbed her head where he bumped it. It wasn't hard, but it still surprised her.

"I... um... I... arm spasm," Sheldon said trying to cover.

"Arm spasm?"

"Yeah. Do you need some ice?" Sheldon asked. He looked really sorry and concerned.

"No. I'm fine," Amy said as she rubbed her forehead.

Sheldon wanted to try to put his arm around her again, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was afraid he hurt her again. Instead, he just looked over at her and watched her start reading again. Sheldon didn't look at the comic book that Amy still held between them. He couldn't draw his gaze away from her face. His hand twitched as he yearned to reach over and touch her leg or hold her hand or just make contact with her in some way.

"Let's go to lunch," he said suddenly. "I'm starving."

"Um, okay. Where do you want to go?" Amy asked.

"Your choice. Let's go right now though," Sheldon said with a sense of urgency that Amy didn't understand.

She got up and put her sweater on before grabbing her keys. Sheldon just hoped that a little space between the two of them would help him regain control of his senses. He followed her down to her car and didn't notice where she was driving until she pulled up to his favorite Thai restaurant. He was too focused on looking out the window and ignoring her.

"Is this okay?"

"This is great," Sheldon said as he jumped out of the car. He still had too much enthusiasm and he was working to keep his distance. They walked in and sat across from each other. Sheldon felt better already. He would have to reach across the table to touch her. That was until she rested her hand on the table between them. She didn't mean anything by it, but Sheldon couldn't help but stare at it for a moment.

Sheldon didn't want to fight it anymore, so he just placed his hand on top of Amy's. She looked up at him, but neither of them said anything. Sheldon felt like an annoying itch had been scratched. He was still fighting his attraction to Amy. Her presence all summer had made him want her, and he had hoped it would lessen after Leonard's return. No such luck. At least he was able to confine it to the occasional hand hold for now. He was worried about what he would do when he wanted to hold more than just her hand. He would have been able to control himself if he knew that she didn't want more, but she had made it obvious that she wouldn't mind it if they were more physical.

They held hands until the food came. Sheldon thought it was funny that the more Amy seemed to understand how difficult physical contact was for him and stopped pressuring him, the more he became the one who wanted physical contact. What he wouldn't give for her to spontaneously kiss him like she had the day he gave her the tiara. He supposed he would have to continue initiating contact with her.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I haven't decided if this is the end of this story. Either way, I think I might take a bit of a break from fan fiction. I'm sure I'll be back writing at some point. I still love reading your guys' work.**

* * *

Sheldon suggested that they go to the book signing straight from the restaurant. It wasn't for another hour, but he suspected that it would be very busy. Amy wanted to go back to the apartment to get directions because she didn't know exactly where the bookstore was. She had only read about the event online.

Sheldon seemed confident that he could guide her there using the GPS on his phone. Too bad he didn't realize that the satellites were being updated and therefore not as accurate as they normally were. Sheldon led them down three wrong streets, the wrong way on a one way street and in what amounted to three circles before Amy's car came to a stop. They still weren't at the bookstore. She'd run out of gas instead.

"How could you run out gas?" Sheldon asked.

"I would have had enough, but we've been driving for over an hour. I'm pretty sure that we are pretty close to where we started," Amy told him.

"Still, you didn't notice that you were nearly out of gas?" Sheldon accused.

"I stopped noticing things like that when I had to start dodging cars when you sent me the wrong ways down a one way street," Amy shot back. They so rarely fought that it felt strange to yell at Sheldon. "I wanted to go back to the apartment to get directions, but we didn't have time for that. Now, you've taken us on some kind of wild goose chase that has taken longer than it would have to go get the stupid directions."

Amy got out of the car and opened her trunk. Sheldon got out and followed her. "Where are you going?" he asked her.

"I'm going to go get gas," she said as she pulled the empty gas can out of her trunk and then slammed it closed.

Amy stomped away from Sheldon, but he started following her. With his longer legs, it didn't take long for him to catch up.

"Stay with the car," she snapped at him.

"No," he said back and he matched his steps to hers.

"Sheldon, I don't want to get a parking ticket. I don't think it's okay for me to leave my car there. Maybe if you stayed here and explained what happened."

"I'll pay for the ticket if you get one, but I'm not letting you wander these streets by yourself looking for a gas station."

"Fine. Whatever," Amy said. She was still mad, but it wasn't worth the time it would take to fight with Sheldon about it.

He took her gas can with his left hand and took her hand with his right. Amy did something that she thought she would never do; she pulled her hand out of his. "I'm mad at you Sheldon," she told him.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I don't know why the GPS isn't working on my phone, but I'm sorry that it took us in so many crazy directions."

"That's not why I'm mad at you. I understand that technology malfunctions sometimes. I'm mad that you yelled at me about running out of gas," she told him.

"But you did run out of gas," he said. He sounded confused.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to yell at me about it. I messed up, but I don't need your judgement. We can't all be as perfect as the great Dr. Sheldon Cooper."

"I'm not perfect," Sheldon said back.

"You sure act like you believe that you are," Amy said to him. She really did think he was perfect. He was sweet, funny, smart, and gorgeous, but he could be frustrating too.

"I'm not perfect," Sheldon said again. His tone was so sad that Amy stopped and looked at him. She was losing her resolve to stay mad at him. She grabbed his hand back and started walking to the gas station.

It was only about a half a mile before they came up to a gas station. Amy filled up the gas can after she took it from Sheldon. He looked afraid to fill it up himself, and Amy wondered if it was another one of his phobias.

Amy was carrying the gas can back to her car, and didn't take Sheldon's hand back. She wasn't really mad at him anymore, but she kept switching the now heavy can between her hands.

They didn't talk much on the way back to the car. Amy had just moved the can back to her right hand when she felt it. The heel of her left shoe snapped and before she could react, her ankle twisted and she fell to the ground. The gas can fell out of her hand, but stayed closed. Before she could even quite register the pain coming both from her left ankle and her knee, Sheldon was right there with his hands on her arms.

"Amy, are you okay?"

Amy just shook her head. There were tears streaming down her face. They came from a mixture of embarrassment and pain. Sheldon ran his hand down Amy's leg and gingerly looked at first the scrape on her knee where her tights were now ripped. Then he felt her ankle. It didn't look broken and he told her that.

"Do you think you can walk back to your car, or do you want me to go get it?" he asked her.

"You don't drive," she reminded him.

"I can call a cab," he suggested.

"I think I can make it if you help me."

Sheldon pulled Amy up by her arms and then picked up the gas can. She could see that they were only about 500 feet away from her car once she was standing. Sheldon put his arm around her and began supporting her weight. He was much stronger than Amy would have believed. He was practically carrying her with one arm while holding the gas can with the other.

Sheldon placed Amy in the driver's seat of her car and put the gas in the tank. Then he pulled the first aid kit out of her trunk. He walked over to her and started tending to her wounds.

"Sheldon, I can do that. I don't want you fainting here on the side of the street," Amy told him as he started cleaning the scrape on her knee.

"I'm fine," he told her gruffly. He put a bandage on her knee and then moved to her ankle. Amy shivered a little as he ran his hand down her leg to reach it. Sheldon wrapped her ankle in a bandage before bringing his eyes back to hers.

"I think we should just go back home," he told her. "The signing is probably over by now anyway." Between the time that they were lost and what happened while getting the gas, Sheldon was probably right. It was getting dark.

"You're probably right," she told him.

Sheldon got into the other side of the car and Amy started it right up. They stopped to fill up the tank on her car. Then, Sheldon's GPS started working again, so he could lead them back home. Amy was driving while Sheldon was focused on his phone. That was why he was so startled when Amy suddenly pulled the car over on the side of the road.

He looked up to see what Amy saw. There was a tall man with very curly hair on the sidewalk. He wore a long black coat, and it only took Sheldon a moment to realize that it was him. Sheldon jumped out of the car and ran over.

"I'm really sorry to bother you Mr. Gaiman, but my girlfriend and I were on the way to your book signing when we got lost, and then we ran out of gas, and then she twisted her ankle. Is there any way that you could sign our books anyway?" Sheldon asked him.

"I've been signing all day," Neil Gaiman told Sheldon. Then he looked over at the woman getting out of the car. She was obviously limping as she walked over. Her clothes looked a little tattered and they both looked very tired.

"Okay. If you make it quick, I'll sign a couple of things for you."

Sheldon ran back to the car and pulled the books from the back seat. Then he helped Amy limp over. There was no one else around, but they still tried to be quick and not bother the author.

"You do look like you've had a day," Neil Gaiman told Amy as she walked up.

"I did. Thank you so much for doing this," Amy told him.

He finished signing the books and wished Amy and Sheldon a good night. Sheldon helped Amy back into her car. If Sheldon believed in luck, he would have thought it was very misplaced. They had gotten to meet Neil Gaiman, but only under the strangest of circumstances. At least Sheldon had managed to avoid another restraining order.

They drove back to Sheldon's before they remembered that the elevator didn't work in Sheldon's building.

"Do you want to go back to your apartment?" Sheldon asked Amy. "I can help you up these stairs, but if you want to go home, I completely understand."

"I'll come up if you think you can help me," Amy said. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to leave Sheldon even though it would have been much easier to just go home.

They made it up the first two sets of stairs before Amy wanted a rest. There was just one more set of stairs to go, but Amy's right leg was tired from doing most of the work. Sheldon stopped and Amy started to sit down and Sheldon sat next to her. She was starting to realize just how much touching they had done all day. Sheldon didn't seem to have any problems having his arm around her as he helped her walk.

"Okay. I think I'm ready to go the rest of the way," Amy said. Sheldon stood, took her hands, and pulled her up. Then he wrapped his arm around her and helped her to the fourth floor.

Once they were in the apartment, Sheldon helped Amy sit in the seat next to his spot. She expected him to take his arm back, but he kept it around her shoulders. _Was that what he was trying to do when he accidentally hit me on the forehead this morning_, Amy wondered to herself.

Sheldon got up to get something to drink for himself and Amy. Then he ordered a pizza. It wasn't his normal pizza night, but he was too tired for anything else. Maybe Leonard was right; he couldn't put out his own fires. He thought about all of the things that had gone wrong over the course of the weekend. Then again, it hadn't even crossed his mind to call Leonard to fix any of them. Sheldon and Amy might have had a lot of mishaps over the weekend, but they solved all of them together.

After they ate, Sheldon and Amy decided to get into their pajamas early and just cuddle on the couch together. Sheldon rewrapped Amy's ankle and put some ice on it. Then they took turns reading _The Ocean at the End of the Lane _to each other. That was where Leonard and Penny found them when they came into the apartment that night.

"I thought you guys weren't coming back until tomorrow morning," Amy said when they came in.

"That was the plan. Only, the room was terrible, the restaurant lost our reservations, there was a crazy rainstorm the whole weekend so we couldn't go anywhere. It just seemed like it would be better to come back home," Leonard said. Penny looked exhausted and she was leaning on Leonard.

"Ugh. They told me that I needed to stay out of my apartment until Monday because of the bug spray," Penny said. "Can I stay here with you?" she asked Leonard.

"Of course, but we're going to be a full house with Amy here too," Leonard pointed out.

"I guess I'm on the couch," Amy commented. "I can use the arm to put up my foot anyway."

That was when Leonard and Penny noticed Amy's swollen ankle. "What happened?" Leonard asked.

"It is the longest story," Amy replied. "You two look like you need some sleep, so I won't bore you with it."

They agreed and went in to Leonard's room to go to bed. Amy just cuddled into Sheldon's side some more. Leonard and Penny must have been tired, they didn't even comment on the fact that Amy was practically on Sheldon's lap.

"You don't have to sleep out here," Sheldon said after they were gone.

"I know I could go home, but I really don't have it in me to change, go down the stairs, and drive home right now," Amy told him.

"That's not what I meant. I mean, you can come sleep in my room if you want to," Sheldon said shyly.

"Oh? Does that mean that you want to... you know?" Amy asked. She was nervous to ask if he was implying what she thought he was.

"You're injured and we are both exhausted, so I think it would be best if we just slept. However, I wouldn't mind if we planned our own romantic weekend away," Sheldon admitted.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sheldon Cooper wants to take you on a romantic weekend away?" Penny asked, incredulously. "The Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper who lives across the hall?"

"Yes. That Sheldon Cooper," Amy replied. She and Penny were in Penny's apartment getting dressed for the day. It was Monday morning, so the fumigation of Penny's apartment was all cleared. Penny offered to let Amy shower and get dressed at her place because it would have been difficult for four people to get ready for the day at Leonard and Sheldon's place.

Amy couldn't wait to tell her bestie about Sheldon's offer. Though, now that she had said something about it, she hoped that he hadn't changed his mind. They hadn't spoken about it since the night before, so maybe upon reflection, Sheldon would want to back out.

"You want to go on a romantic weekend? With me?" Amy said in shock when Sheldon brought it up the night before.

"Yeah. The train trip from Los Angeles to Chicago is one of the best ranked train trips in the country and it takes about 40 hours. What would be more romantic than a train trip across the country?" Sheldon suggested.

Amy laughed.

"What?" Sheldon asked.

"Never stop being you, Sheldon. It's exceptionally adorable," Amy said to him with a smile.

"Who else would I be? It would be impossible for me to become someone else," Sheldon said.

Amy just smiled and shook her head. She knew that she had it bad for Sheldon when she realized that she would be willing to spend an entire weekend on a train with him.

Sheldon yawned and quickly covered his mouth. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go to bed. Did you decide if you would like to sleep in my room or out here?"

Amy looked down and meekly said, "Your room."

"Good choice. I've slept on this couch, and my bed is much more comfortable," Sheldon said. Then he helped Amy up. She went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. Sheldon was waiting outside of the bathroom and helped in into his room. Amy was sure that her ankle could have supported the short walk, but it still felt nice to have Sheldon's arm wrapped around her.

Sheldon pulled back the covers and placed a pillow at the foot of the bed. He helped her put her leg up and then tucked her in. Obviously, Sheldon didn't enjoy that Amy was hurt, but he did enjoy having so many excuses to touch her without being called out on his behavior. As he left to use the bathroom himself, he just tried not to think about how much he enjoyed having his hands on Amy's body.

When he came back in, Amy was lying there in his bed awake. He was starting to worry that he had made a mistake inviting her into his bed. He had never shared a bed with anyone. At least not since he was an adult. It seemed too late to take it back now, so he just swallowed hard and got into his bed.

"Amy, I fear that I've made a mistake," he told her.

Amy was worried that he was going to kick her out of bed, but she still asked, "What is that?"

"I think I skipped a step before asking you to go away with me for a weekend."

Amy was confused. She didn't know that there was a strict protocol for these kinds of things. She was still trying to figure out what Sheldon meant and had opened her mouth to ask him when he leaned over her and placed a very quick kiss on her mouth.

It had been so fast that Amy didn't even have a chance to respond. All she was left with was the impression his lips had left on hers. She pressed her fingers to her lips for a moment before looking over at Sheldon. He had the blanket completely pulled up to his chin and his eyes were closed. Amy would have thought he was asleep if it weren't for the slightly accelerated breathing and a light blush on his cheeks.

Amy smiled and found Sheldon's hand under the covers. She didn't fold their hands together, but rather just put the back of her hand to the back of his. "Goodnight, Sheldon," she said.

"Goodnight, Amy," Sheldon returned. He didn't pull his hand back and they both fell asleep with that single point of contact between them.

When Amy woke up, Sheldon wasn't there. Instead, there was a pair of crutches leaning against the wall. Amy didn't know where Sheldon had got them, but it was clear that they had been left for her. It was thoughtful, but she would miss having him help her around. She wondered for a moment if she should go get her ankle looked at by a doctor, but it already seemed better than it had the day before.

Amy got up and went to the living room. Everyone else was already awake, including Penny. Sheldon jumped up and helped Amy down the couple steps down into the living room.

"And here I was afraid that you were afraid to touch me again," she told him quietly enough that only he would hear.

"I've never been afraid to touch _you_," he said. The way he said "you" sent a little shiver down Amy's spine.

Amy went to the kitchen and started making herself some breakfast. It was difficult to navigate with the crutches. She sighed loudly and Sheldon jumped to be by her side again.

"When did Sheldon get all thoughtful?" Leonard asked Penny.

"It's an Amy thing. They spent a lot of time together while you were gone. I barely had to do anything," she told him. "She even drove over here several days a week to drive him to work."

They stopped talking as Sheldon carried Amy's bowl of oatmeal and glass of juice over to the coffee table. Amy fumbled with her crutches and Sheldon put his hands on her waist to steady her. He helped her sit.

"I'll probably be fine by tomorrow, but I'm tempted to call in to work today," Amy said. "I really don't want to try to carry beakers and scalpels and fight these crutches at the same time."

"Do you want me to stay home with you? I am honor bound by the Relationship Agreement to take care of you."

"I can't ask that of physics. It needs you too much," Amy told him.

"Physics will be fine for one day," Sheldon said.

Penny was watching this interaction between two people who she thought she knew. Only, they were acting almost like they had switched personalities. She never thought that she would see the day that Sheldon would be willing to blow off work to take care of Amy or the day that Amy would be willing to forgo such love and affection from her boyfriend. It was clear that Amy wasn't rejecting Sheldon, but didn't need him the way she once did. She'd become accustomed to his lack of affection, and it seemed like Amy wasn't sure how to respond now that he was actually offering some.

"Come on, Amy. I'll help you take a shower and get dressed," Penny said and helped Amy over to her apartment.

"What's the deal with you and Sheldon?" Penny asked as soon as they were alone.

Amy filled her in on their weekend, but she left out the fighting and the kiss the night before.

"It sounds like you had a pretty crazy weekend, but at least everything worked out. I spent most of my weekend bickering with Leonard, but we've worked it out," Penny said as she helped Amy into the shower and closed the curtain.

"Yeah. I'm not sure the weekend worked out the way either of us thought it would, but it was nice spending that time with Sheldon," Amy said as she unwrapped the towel from her body and put it over the shower curtain rod.

"So, are you going to go away with him?" Penny asked.

"Yeah. I think I am. This is Sheldon, so we'll probably just spend all of our time playing board games or something. Still, I want to see where this is going to go. Don't tell him I said this, but I love him," Amy admitted.

Penny laughed.

"What?" Amy asked. She'd gotten shampoo in her eyes and was trying to rinse it out. It wasn't the only reason she felt her eyes tearing up. Amy didn't like it when their friends implied that her relationship with Sheldon was less than theirs.

"Everyone knows that you love him, sweetie. Sheldon isn't the best with reading people and even he probably knows. You don't exactly hide it," Penny told her.

"Oh," Amy said. She didn't know that she had been so obvious, but at least Penny wasn't making fun of her. It was an old reaction to assume that the pretty blonde was making fun of her. She knew that she should know better. Penny had proven time and again that they were actual friends. "You should still probably not tell him."

"I won't," Penny promised.

Amy turned off the water, pulled the towel down and wrapped it back around her body and pulled back the curtain. "You know, Sheldon probably could have helped me with this," Amy told Penny as she helped her friend back out of the shower.

Penny made a sound of disbelief.

"He would. He helped me take a bath when I was sick," Amy said defensively.

Penny just started coughing. Luckily, Amy had her crutches back by then. She hobbled over to Penny's bed and sat down. Penny got control of herself and handed Amy her things. "Sorry. That just took me by surprise. When was this?"

"When I was sick with the flu last year."

"Why am I just hearing about this now?"

"There was nothing sexual about it. Believe me. I'm just saying that Sheldon could have handled helping me step into the shower."

"Well, I wanted to catch up with you about the weekend anyway. I'm going to let you get dressed and then we can go back across the hall and see the guys."

Amy got dressed, but decided to forego the tights because it seemed like more trouble than it was worth. She was still pretty sure that she was going to call into work. She wasn't technically sick, but she still didn't want to go in.

Penny and Amy went back across the hall to see the guys. Sheldon was sitting at his computer, still in his pajamas. He looked over at the girls as they came in.

"Where's Leonard?" Penny asked.

"He left for work. He told me to tell you that he would call you at lunch," Sheldon responded.

"Why aren't you with him?" Penny asked.

"I told you both, I'm going to work from home today and take care of Amy. It's in the Relationship Agreement."

"I'm not sick, Sheldon. My ankle isn't even broken. I just wanted to stay off of it one more day. I can take care of myself," Amy told Sheldon.

"It isn't wrapped, it isn't iced, it isn't elevated. Obviously, you need my assistance," Sheldon said. His voice was full of arrogance, but his eyes showed genuine concern.

"Well, I'll just let you two get on with whatever this is," Penny said with a wave of her hand. "Call me if you need anything, Amy."

"Thanks, Penny," Amy said. Sheldon got up and sat Amy down on the couch. Then he went back to get the big first aid kit from the bathroom. When he came back, he put a new bandage on Amy's knee even though it was on its way to healing. Then he pulled Amy's left foot into his lap.

"I think we should have gone to get this X-rayed yesterday," he told her.

"It's fine. I don't think it's broken or anything," Amy said.

"It is awfully swollen. Are you sure you don't want to have it looked at?"

Amy shook her head. Sheldon just wrapped up Amy ankle for her and then gingerly placed the ice pack on it. He left her foot in his lap and tried very hard not to be distracted by her lack of tights as he looked at her legs. They stayed like that for a moment.

"Are you done?" Amy asked.

"You should keep it elevated," Sheldon said as he put a pillow under Amy's foot, but kept in on his lap. About fifteen minutes later, Sheldon found himself absent mindedly stroking Amy's leg. As his hand moved from her knee back down to her foot, Amy started squirming little bit.

Sheldon realized that he'd been touching her without even thinking about it. "Am I hurting you?" he asked, alarmed.

"No," Amy said quietly. She couldn't meet Sheldon's eye.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Amy kept looking at her hands as she said, "You're kind of turning me on when you touch my leg like that. I know that isn't what you are trying to do, but I want you to keep going."

"Oh? Oh. Oh, wow," Sheldon said as he realized what she was saying.

Sheldon pulled his hand back from Amy's leg, but he didn't put it back on the floor. He was trying to figure out how he felt about what Amy said. Then he rested his hand back on her leg. It was only a few minutes before he started moving his hand again. When his hand went up past her knee, Sheldon gave Amy a little smirk.

"I'm going to do this to you and see how you like it," Amy told him, but she didn't make any attempt to move.

Sheldon enjoyed watching Amy squirm under his hands. It was the first time that he had had that kind of control over her. He was also enjoying the feeling of her skin without touching anything too beyond his comfort zone.

Sheldon eventually got up and changed into his clothes for the day. When he got back from the bathroom, Amy had her ankle up on the coffee table with a pillow. When Sheldon sat back down next to her, he realized that he made a mistake. Amy smiled evilly and started to run her fingers along Sheldon's thigh. His breath was quickened by this, but he didn't move. He'd gotten himself into this.

Amy was careful to not move her hand up too high. She wasn't trying to seduce him exactly, but rather just let him know how it felt when he had touched her earlier. Sheldon tensed, but didn't move away. He liked the feeling of Amy's fingertips running along this plaid pants. Wasn't he just thinking that he wished that she would make some moves on him. Here he was getting his wish.

Sheldon started feeling a fluttering in his stomach and he grabbed Amy's hand to stop her from moving it along his leg anymore. He knew what was coming next if he let her continue. He wasn't a stranger to arousal even if he usually tried to keep those feelings in check.

"I get it," he told her. He kept her hand in his. It was part because, if he was being honest with himself, he kind of liked holding her hand, and part because he didn't trust her to stop touching his leg. After all, he hadn't stopped.

Amy liked the reaction that she had gotten out of Sheldon, but she was worried that she had taken it a little too far. Sheldon didn't like touching and she didn't want to discourage him.

"Sorry," she muttered.

Sheldon tilted his head and put it on Amy's shoulder. She stiffened at the contact, not because she was uncomfortable, but because it was so unexpected. "Don't be sorry," Sheldon said. "I liked it."

"You did? Why did you stop me then?" Amy asked.

Sheldon sighed and tried to be honest with Amy. "Sometimes there is not enough Kolinahr on the planet when it comes to you."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Amy said.

"It is when I want to get some work done today," Sheldon told her. "I should get on that, but how about some lunch first?"

Amy agreed and they made lunch together. It turned out that Sheldon made an exceptional grilled cheese sandwich.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I don't really have a posting schedule for this story. I am just kind of going with it. I think I'm going to up the rating for this chapter since the story is continuing beyond where I originally intended to stop. So, this story is now rated T. Thanks for reading. You're the best.**

* * *

Sheldon started working, but his eyes kept falling on the sleeping form of his girlfriend on the couch. After about twenty minutes, he gave up on trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe and decided to join Amy.

He shook her shoulder and she startled awake. "Scoot over," Sheldon told her.

Amy looked at him for a moment, but didn't move. He sighed and gently pushed her over so that she was right up against the back of the couch. Then he lay down next to her. The couch was too narrow for them to both fit, but he didn't care. He just pressed his body against hers and settled in to sleep.

Neither of them could fall asleep like that. They weren't uncomfortable, but they were both very aware of the feeling of the other's body pressed against their own. Sheldon was on his side and he was just staring at Amy's face. He propped himself up on his elbow and leaned over her.

Amy's breath was hitching in her throat. She had never seen Sheldon look at her like that. "Amy, can I... um. Would it be okay if I..." Sheldon started.

"Yes," Amy said. She didn't care what he was asking. She was okay with it.

Sheldon leaned down and pressed his lips to Amy's. He started with just a peck, but then he felt Amy's mouth moving under his. Sheldon didn't know where it came from, but he started moving his lips in time with Amy's. It was awkward at first, but neither of them cared. Amy was glad that Sheldon had taken some initiative.

Sheldon didn't realize that he was moving to lie on top of Amy until he felt her wince in pain. She didn't want to say anything because she didn't want to stop him, but he had accidentally bumped her sore ankle with his foot. Sheldon pulled back and bumped her ankle again. This time Amy made a sound like a puppy whimpering. He realized that he was hurting her and quickly jumped back.

Unfortunately, the couch was much too narrow for them and Sheldon fell onto the floor. The fall was not far, but he landed flat on his back and the wind was knocked out of him.

"Oh my God. Sheldon, are you okay?" Amy said as she peeked at him over the edge of the couch.

Sheldon couldn't answer because he was still trying to breathe. He nodded at Amy, but he stayed on the floor for several minutes. Amy didn't know what to do because she couldn't get up from where she was on the couch. Leonard walked in the door and found them like that. Sheldon on the floor and Amy half leaning over him.

He rushed over. "Are you guys okay?"

"I'm fine, Leonard. I just fell off of the couch," Sheldon told him.

Leonard reached down to help his friend off the floor. "Wait. You were lying on the couch together. Were you going to have sex? Should I come back later?"

"We were not going to engage in coitus. We would have been back in my room or at Amy's. We aren't animals," Sheldon said.

Sheldon hoped that Leonard wouldn't ask any more about what they actually were doing. Instead, he just sat back down in his spot and pulled Amy's feet into his lap. He was trying to see if he injured her further.

"I'm fine, Sheldon," Amy said when she realized he was inspecting her foot again. "It was just a bump. It's still sore, but you didn't injure it."

Still, Sheldon rewrapped and replaced the ice on her ankle. He tried not to touch her leg again, but it was in vain. It was halfway through a Battlestar Galactica rerun that Leonard turned to Sheldon. "Everyone is coming over for dinner soon. I don't care if you guys are all about physical displays of affection now, but you might want to cut it out while Howard is here," Leonard said pointing out how Sheldon was stroking Amy's legs again.

Sheldon looked at Amy, "Sorry." He knew how much he liked it when Amy touched him, but he also knew how much it had affected him as well.

"Don't worry about it," Amy said with a wink. "If it had bothered me, I would have said something twenty minutes ago."

Sheldon was alarmed that he had been fondling Amy's leg for that long without even thinking about it. Normally, his every move was calculated. There was a reason why he had such a strict schedule. Yet, here he was touching Amy, something that would have been difficult for him just a few months before, without a single thought. He realized that it made him happy. That vixen was doing something to him and he was trying to decide if he liked it.

Amy sat up next to Sheldon and put her hand on his knee. He felt like it was burning him, but there was no pain. He just rested his hand on top of hers. It was a much more subtle form of affection.

Everyone showed up on time for dinner. Sheldon was glad for Leonard's suggestion because Howard made at least three dirty jokes within the first fifteen minutes. He was also glad that he and Amy weren't the butt of them.

Amy was exhausted by the time they were done eating even with her earlier nap. She wasn't sure if she should ask Sheldon for help getting back down the stairs. Maybe she could get Raj or Howard and Bernie to help when when they left instead. Amy still wasn't used to the Sheldon who would easily touch her.

"Sheldon, can I keep these for a couple of days?" Amy asked.

"Of course. You can keep them as long as you need," Sheldon said.

Amy stood up and started collecting her things. "You're leaving?" Sheldon asked.

"Yeah. I'm pretty tired, so I think that I should probably get home," she told him.

"Are you going to be okay alone? You can stay here again tonight."

Amy smiled. "I'll be fine, but it would be nice if you would help me down the stairs."

"Of course. Penny could you help carry her things down? I'll want both hands on Amy."

Raj leaned over and whispered something into Howard's ear. They both laughed.

"Hey, I thought you could talk in front of women now?" Penny asked.

"I can. I just didn't want to make a joke about Sheldon's hands on Amy's body in front of her," Raj said.

Penny walked over and smacked him in the back of the head. "You just did, idiot." Then she took Amy's bag from her. The three of them started down the stairs. Sheldon had his arms wrapped around Amy's body and was practically carrying her down the stairs while Penny carried the crutches and Amy's things. It was slow going, but they made it to Amy's car.

"I'm going to go back upstairs unless you need anything," Penny said as she put Amy's things in her car.

"Thanks, Penny. We're fine," Amy answered. She was glad that her friend was giving her moment alone with Sheldon before she drove home.

Sheldon waited for Penny to go back inside before he said, "Look into what weekend would be best to go away. I was thinking about the end of the month, but I don't want to book the tickets until you've looked at your calendar."

"So, you still want to spend an entire weekend with me in a car on a train?"

"Of course. I don't think I could come up with a more perfect way to spend a weekend."

Then Sheldon leaned down to kiss Amy again. He tried to not think about it too much. In his short experience with kissing, that seemed the be the best method. It went against everything that he thought he knew, but the pleasure overrode his thought processes. He found that he enjoyed it much more than he ever believed he could.

"Fascinating," Sheldon said as he pulled back.

"Huh?" Amy said as she blinked up at him.

"You illicit a response from me that I've never experienced. We have to do more of this kissing to investigate it."

"Huh?" Amy said again.

Sheldon smiled and opened her car door. Then he helped her inside her car. "Call me if you need any help," he told her.

She came back to her senses as she told him, "I will, but my building's elevator actually works, so I should be fine."

Amy got settled in to her apartment. She missed Sheldon helping her out, but it was nice to be home. It was also nice to be able to watch something other than science fiction programs on her television. As she got into her own bed, Amy was frustrated by the feelings she thought that she had tamped down over the summer. There had been a point where Amy realized that pushing Sheldon into a physical relationship wouldn't do either of them any good.

She realized that Sheldon might come to it in his own time, but until then, she would need to give him space. It seemed that Sheldon was finally making that shift. He'd held her, kissed her, and even suggested they spend a romantic weekend together. Of course, with Sheldon, that might mean that they would hold hands while looking out a train car window. Still, it was more than he had done in ages.

Amy didn't believe in Kolinahr, but she had started doing a few meditative exercises to help her control her feelings for Sheldon. She loved him in a way that she had never loved anyone. He wasn't ever going to be her normal boyfriend, but she loved him enough to look past his quirks. He seemed to be fond enough of her to make small changes, like holding her hand. They would get there eventually, but until then, Amy needed a way to get by.

It had been working quite well. Until he had to go and touch her legs like that and kiss her like that. Instead of focusing on the air moving in and out of her lungs, Amy could only think of Sheldon's hands.

"Stupid, sexy Sheldon," Amy muttered to herself as she gave up. She wrote a note to herself to remember to check her calendar for the best weekend to go away with him.


	7. Chapter 7

Amy sent Sheldon an email confirming that the last weekend of the month would be just fine for them to go on their trip. That meant that Sheldon had two weeks to plan and Amy had two weeks to be nervous about it.

Sheldon planned that they would leave Thursday, get to Chicago on Saturday preevening, and return by plane on Sunday night. He would have preferred that they take the train home again, but they just didn't have the time. The sleeper car, the hotel room, and the airplane tickets were all bought and reserved.

Sheldon was feeling pretty proud of himself. The weekend seemed perfect to him. A whole weekend with Amy alone on a train. The train offered side trips, but he didn't want to see the Grand Canyon (who would want to stand over a cliff?) or visit Santa Fe (even if it was the oldest city that is also a state capital). The view from the train would be enough for him.

Sheldon also made plans for them to visit the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Amy had recently showed him a web series filmed there, so he thought they would both love to see it in person. Even if the series was full of lots of icky biology stuff. Leonard also suggested that Sheldon find a nice restaurant and make a reservation there too. Sheldon checked this suggestion with Penny and she agreed that it was a good idea. He wasn't sure if Amy would like it, but if Penny and Leonard agreed on it, it probably wasn't the worst idea. He checked Yelp and found something that seemed appropriate.

Sheldon sent Amy a full itinerary of their trip. There were a few blocks that were simply labeled "surprise." Amy wondered what that meant, but obviously she couldn't just ask him.

Amy went over to Sheldon's the weekend before they were to leave on their trip. Everyone was there, but Sheldon still hugged Amy as soon as she arrived in the apartment. Howard told them to get a room. Sheldon looked like he thought about it, but he decided that they should eat first.

"He was joking," Amy whispered to him as her face reddened.

"Oh," Sheldon replied.

Amy thought it was reassuring that Sheldon was still making an effort to touch her. She wondered how long he had been thinking about all of this. He wasn't the kind of person who would move forward like this without planning.

What Amy didn't know was that while it was a long time in the making, Sheldon often had to make an effort not to touch her. In fact, all though dinner, he would put out his hand to touch her knee and then pull it back at the last second. The only time that it bothered him was when he thought that she had changed him, but then he realized that it was only Amy that he wanted. Sheldon was still Sheldon with a small exception. He could live with that. It was better than the alternative: living without Amy.

With only a half a week left until they went on their trip, Amy found herself getting more and more nervous. She thought about calling Sheldon and canceling, but then she remembered that it was exactly what she wanted, wasn't it? She decided to stay in the moment. It wasn't like she had to have sex with Sheldon just because they left the state together. All Amy had to do was spend the weekend with him, and she knew she enjoyed that.

Amy went shopping with Penny to find something appropriate to wear on her trip. They looked through dresses and skirts and blouses and shoes. Penny assured Amy that should would look beautiful for Sheldon. Penny also made sure that Amy had something appropriate for the surprise dinner.

"Did you want to get anything else?" Penny asked as they wandered into the food court to get something to drink.

"I don't think so," Amy said.

"You don't want to buy any, you know, lingerie?"

"Oh. I don't know if Sheldon would go in for all that," Amy said.

"I'm not suggesting you buy crotchless panties, but you might want to get something nice for him."

"Okay. Let's go look," Amy said.

She was pleasantly surprised to find some things that didn't look too terrifying, but would be sexier than her normal flannel nightgowns.

"What do you think about this one?" Amy asked Penny, holding up a nightgown that reached mid-thigh and was a blue green color. It was silky and unlike anything Amy had ever worn. Still, she thought that it was nice.

"Oh, I like it. It matches your eyes," Penny said.

Amy bought a few things, but decided to take one of her normal nightgowns too in case it scared Sheldon too much. Or it scared her too much.

Penny volunteered to drive the couple to the train station. Sheldon packed his bag into her trunk and got into the front seat. He was quiet on the drive to pick up Amy from her apartment.

"Are you nervous?" Penny asked.

"Nervous about what?"

"About your weekend away with Amy?"

"Why would I be nervous? I've spent several weekends with Amy."

"You're just being awfully quiet. You haven't jibber jabbered at me for the whole drive."

"I've told you before, I don't jibber jabber. I give relevant facts. There aren't any relevant facts to the drive to Amy's home. You know how to get there."

"Okay."

Penny pulled up in front of Amy's building. Sheldon pulled out his phone and started to text Amy to let her know that they had arrived.

"Sweetie, you need to go up there and get her. She has bags, you are her boyfriend, and you need to help her carry them."

Sheldon got out of the car and went inside. Penny knew that he was nervous for sure then. He normally would have argued with her for several minutes about how Amy would be able carry her own bags.

Sheldon knocked on Amy's door and she opened it immediately like she had been waiting right there for him to come. He didn't even get to finish knocking. It bothered him, and Amy could tell. She slammed the door right in his face.

"Amy?" Sheldon shouted through the door.

"Finish knocking," Amy yelled right back.

Sheldon did, and Amy opened the door again. "I thought you were trying to get me to be okay with not finishing things," he told her.

"I am, but I want you to have a good day today. We'll work on it some other time."

Sheldon didn't know what overcame him, but he reached down and kissed Amy. They moved out of her doorway together and they were soon pressed against the bookcase by Amy's door. His tongue slipped into Amy's mouth and found hers. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but they only came apart when something fell from the bookcase.

Sheldon pulled back and put the book on human genetics back on the shelf where it went. Then he looked around like he didn't know exactly where he was.

"I guess Penny is waiting for us," Amy said, trying to bring Sheldon back to the moment.

He stood up straighter and said, "Yes." He took the larger of the two bags that Amy held and they went down to Penny's car. Amy tried to smooth her hair while they were in the elevator because Sheldon had ran his hands through it.

"How do I look?" she asked Sheldon.

"Beautiful," Sheldon said with a small smile.

Penny saw Amy and Sheldon chatting casually as they walked to her car. Sheldon opened the trunk and put in both of Amy's bags while she got into the backseat.

"Thanks for driving us to the station. I wasn't sure how we were going to get to the train station and then home from the airport," Amy said as she climbed in.

"No problem. Sheldon promised that he wouldn't complain about me eating their food for a full three months if I dropped you guys off. I think Leonard is going to pick you up from the airport on Sunday. I lost interest after Sheldon cited four different points from the Roommate Agreement."

"There are six different places in the Agreement that could be used to point out that Leonard is obligated to pick us up."

"Yes, and I just said, I stopped listening after four of them. The only reason he isn't dropping you guys off is that he is at work, so shut up and let's go."

"You were complaining that I wasn't talking on the way over here. Now you are complaining that I'm speaking."

"I wasn't complaining that you weren't talking. I was commenting on it's strangeness," Penny said.

Amy listened to her best friend and her boyfriend bicker for the rest of the drive to the train station. It was helping cut her nervousness and her excitement from the kiss. Amy wanted a relaxing vacation with Sheldon.

They got to the train station and Penny helped them unload their bags. She gave each of them a hug and wished them a good trip. Sheldon tolerated his hug, but Amy enthusiastically hugged her friend back. She thanked Penny again for helping her shop and for driving them.

The train station was quieter than the airport. Amy had never been on a train before, but she could see the appeal. The wooden benches and the open space looked like they came from another era. It was romantic in a way that Amy didn't understand until she was surrounded by it.

Sheldon found a board that displayed the times and statuses of all of the trains coming in and leaving the station. He found their train. It didn't leave for over an hour and a half because of Sheldon's need to arrive that early.

They went to get something to drink before boarding the train. Sheldon bought Amy an orange smoothie and he bought himself a grape juice. They were a little awkward with each other after the kiss in Amy's apartment. Amy wondered how they were going to do more than that if they were both so nervous.

After fifteen minutes, Sheldon decided it was time to go get on the train. He rolled both his suitcase and Amy's behind him as he led her to the correct train. They boarded and were led to their room. It was more beautiful, clean, and comfortable than Amy could have believed. It even had it's own bathroom. It wasn't until Amy noticed one more thing that her face fell: bunk beds.


	8. Chapter 8

The porter left Amy and Sheldon alone in their room. Amy set her bag down on the lower bunk. She sat down for a moment and then suddenly stood back up. Sheldon was inspecting the room and didn't notice how upset Amy was.

"I'm going to go get something drink," Amy said.

"We just had juice."

"I'm going to need something stronger than that," Amy said. She was near tears and she just wanted away from Sheldon. She knew she shouldn't have expected more from him, but somehow she did. Now she was just embarrassed and wanted to have a moment alone.

Amy stumbled out of the room and asked someone where she could get a glass of wine. The employee told her where the bar was, but informed her that they didn't serve alcohol until the train started moving.

Amy found the bar anyway. She would just drink water until the train started moving. She checked her watch and it was still forty-five minutes until the train was supposed to leave. She sighed and ordered a soda water.

Ten minutes later that Sheldon noticed that Amy was still gone. He decided to try to find her. Sheldon wandered the cars until he found her sitting alone at a bar nursing a drink.

"Hey. Is everything okay?" Sheldon asked as he sat down next to her.

"I'm just feeling stupid," Amy muttered.

"You are the most intelligent person I know other than myself. Why would you feel stupid?"

"I assumed some things about this weekend that I should have known better than to assume."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one that we wouldn't be sleeping on bunk beds. I guess that our definitions of romantic are different. I spent my whole summer with you almost everyday working on decreasing my feelings for you. It was working, too, until I let my imagination get away from me and think that you touching my leg meant more than it did," Amy told him. One tear escaped and Amy was quick to wipe it away.

"Amy, the bunk beds were an oversight on my part. My touching your leg meant exactly what you thought it did. As did the kiss in your apartment earlier. I'm sorry that I screwed up the room here, but the hotel room in Chicago only has one bed," Sheldon told her as he pulled out his phone and showed her the reservation on his phone. He was right, it said, KING-SIZED BED. "You said that you spent the whole summer with me working on decreasing your feelings for me. I spent everyday of the summer increasing my feelings for you."

"Maybe we're finally in the same place," Amy told him.

"Of course we are. We are on the Southwest Chief," Sheldon said signaling the space around him.

Amy smiled, finished her drink, and left a couple dollars on the bar. "Let's go back to the room. I didn't get that good of a look at it before I left."

Sheldon took Amy's hand in his and led her back to the room. They sat down on the lower bunk and talked about work and about their friends and about books. Somewhere in the middle of it they started moving closer to each other.

Amy looked up into Sheldon's eyes and suddenly there were no more words. He just leaned in and closed the short distance between them with a kiss. Sheldon started the kiss, but Amy couldn't help herself when she pushed him back on the small bed. There wasn't a lot of space, but Sheldon took the hint and leaned back, pulling Amy with him.

Amy had dreamed of this moment for years. It wasn't until they had been friends for a few months that she had been startled by thoughts of pressing her lips to his. The thoughts turned to dreams and three years later, the dreams had turned to reality. She was finally kissing his long, graceful neck and his sculpted adam's apple. Then she found her lips drawn back to his.

They barely noticed when the train started to move even though that was generally Sheldon's favorite part. Then they didn't notice the knocking on the door. At least at first. Once the person knocking on their door became more persistent they took notice and sat up. Sheldon forgot that there was a bed above him and bumped his head. Amy opened the door to their room to find an employee of the train standing there.

"Ma'am, we need to check your tickets," he told her. He didn't quite meet her eye, so she was sure that he had some suspicion of what they were up to.

Amy didn't know anything about it. "Sheldon, do you have our tickets?"

He held on to his head with his left hand and pulled his phone out with his right. He pulled up the etickets and handed the phone to Amy. She showed it to the employee and he nodded. "Sorry for the intrusion. We hope you enjoy your trip." Then he walked away.

Amy closed the door and turned back to Sheldon. "He totally knew we were making out," she told him as she handed back his phone. "Let me look," Amy said as she pulled Sheldon's hand away from his head. It was a little red, but he looked fine. She leaned down and kissed his head softly.

"Better?"

Sheldon nodded.

"Do you want some ice for it?"

"No. I'm fine."

"I can see why you avoided making out with me for so long. You get hurt doing it a lot," Amy said as she sat back down next to him.

"What do you mean?"

"You just bumped your head and you fell off the couch the first time you kissed me like that. It's bad for your health for you to kiss me," Amy said a little sadly.

"Actually, I only get hurt when I stop," Sheldon said as he leaned back into Amy.

"If you start, you'll have to stop eventually. Maybe we should go to dinner instead."

Sheldon contemplated this and agreed. "We will go to dinner, but this isn't over," he threatened.

"Never," Amy said as she stole one more kiss from Sheldon.

Sheldon and Amy located the dining car. It had been a long time since Amy had been with Sheldon at a restaurant that wasn't on his short approved list. It was nice to have a change even if the mild rocking of the train made Amy feel a little strange. She hadn't noticed it when they were back in the room, but walking around the train had made her notice the movement.

She ordered a ginger ale and hoped that she would feel fine after a moment. It worked and Amy enjoyed her pasta while Sheldon chattered at her about random train trivia. It was very cute and despite any problems that they had earlier, Amy was glad that she had come on this trip with him.

They stayed for dessert before going back to their room. Amy wasn't sure that it was the best idea because she wasn't feeling well again as they walked back to their room. She feel down onto the bottom bunk as soon as they got into the room.

Sheldon was worried. Amy looked a little green as he stared down at her. "Are you okay?" Sheldon asked.

"I don't know. I just want to lie down for a while," Amy said miserably.

"Do you think it's something you ate?" Sheldon asked. He was hovering over his girlfriend because he was worried about her.

"I don't know. I don't think so because I was feeling kind of sick when we sat down, but once I started eating, I felt better."

"I'll go get you a soda. You had one with dinner and it seemed to help."

Sheldon disappeared out the door, and Amy felt a little relieved because it made her nervous to have him standing over her like that. She was already feeling a little better. She was just focusing on breathing until Sheldon came back.

He walked in with six cans of soda. "I didn't ask you what kind you wanted. I know that you like cola sometimes, but then you drank orange soda when you had the flu last year, and then you had ginger ale earlier and soda water when you were at the bar. I just got one of each. Plus 7-Up because that's what my mother always got me when I was sick as a child."

"I'll take the ginger ale," Amy said. She couldn't help but smile at his overreaction to a little nausea. "Thanks for bringing me all of this."

Sheldon put the other sodas into the mini fridge and sat down in the chair across from where Amy was. He watched her open the soda and take a few sips.

"Are you feeling better?"

"I am, but could we maybe not make out again right now?" Amy asked, shyly.

"I would think the fact that it took me three years to kiss you would prove that I am able to enjoy your company without needing to make out with you."

"That's true." Amy lay down again, and they were just quiet for a while.

They were far enough out of Los Angeles that there was some nice scenery, but it was also too dark to really see much outside the window. Still, Sheldon enjoyed looking at the stars without all of the light pollution.

"What are you looking at?" Amy asked. She got up from the bunk and looked out the window.

"I'm just looking at the stars. You can see them much clearer out here than you can at home."

Amy leaned down to look just as the train car bumped just a little extra. The bump sent Amy flying into Sheldon's lap. He caught her with a little "oomph," but instead of helping her back up, he just adjusted a little and put his arm around her waist.

"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Amy asked suddenly.

"The stars?"

"Us. I'm on your lap," Amy said.

"Yes you are. There isn't another chair here, so if you want to look at the stars with me, this seems to be the best way to manage it. As for us, my tongue was in your mouth earlier, Amy. I was thirty years old before I ever even thought about doing that with anyone. The idea still bothers me quite a bit if I think of kissing anyone but you. I've thought about this a lot, and I've decided that I want it. I want you."

Amy leaned back into Sheldon's chest and let him hold her. They stared at the stars together and Amy had to admit that bunk beds or no bunk beds, that motion sickness and bumps on the head aside, this moment with Sheldon on this train rolling through the desert was truly the most romantic moment of her entire life.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Another day, another chapter. This is the third chapter I've posted in as many days. I don't know why, and I can't promise that I'll keep it up. I hope you are still enjoying it. I know it's a little fluffy (okay, a lot fluffy). I love you guys. **

* * *

About an hour later, Amy found herself being lightly shaken awake by Sheldon. She didn't even realize that she had fallen asleep.

"Wake up, kid," Sheldon said softly in her ear.

Amy didn't want to wake up. Sheldon was warm and comfortable. She wanted to curl into his chest and let him hold her forever. Still, Amy got up from Sheldon's lap and moved over to the bottom bunk. Sheldon pulled out his pajamas and went into the bathroom to change.

When he came back out he said, "Amy, you are going to need to move."

"Why do I need to move? You can sleep on the top bunk."

"But it's up high," Sheldon whined.

"Sheldon, if the motion sickness comes back I might need to get to the bathroom."

Sheldon couldn't refute this as much as he tried, and he really tried. He sighed and climbed up to the bed above Amy. She got up, grabbed the long flannel nightgown and changed into it. She was glad that she had brought it because it was comfortable and familiar. Plus, it wasn't like she was going to share a bed with Sheldon anyway. There was no point in trying to seduce him.

She came back out of the bathroom and climbed into the lower bunk. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep listening to the sound of the train moving. It was a bit hypnotic. She occasionally heard Sheldon tossing and turning above her, but once she was asleep, Amy was out like a light.

Amy was panicked when she woke up. It was still dark in the car and there was something warm and heavy pressing her to the bed. Amy remembered where she was, but she couldn't understand what was holding her in place. She tried to move, but she was stuck. She started calling Sheldon's name when the mass holding her to the bed started moving. It pulled her in tighter and mumbled her name.

Amy realized that it was the right half of Sheldon pinning her to the bed and she calmed down considerably. She still didn't understand why Sheldon was sleeping on top of her, but there weren't many people on the planet that she trusted more than him.

"Sheldon?" Amy said again. He didn't move. Amy's arms and legs were pinned down by Sheldon's much longer arm and leg. She couldn't shake him awake.

"Sheldon Lee Cooper," Amy said a little louder. Sheldon finally opened his eyes and looked at Amy. He blinked a couple of times, realized that he was lying on top of her and quickly pulled his arm and leg back. Luckily, the bed was a little wider than the couch in his apartment and Sheldon didn't fall the to floor.

"Did I hurt you?" Sheldon asked.

"No. You just had me pinned to the bed. Speaking of which, why are you in my bed? I'm not complaining, but you were up there when I fell asleep."

"I couldn't sleep up there. I was worried that I was going to fall out of bed. Around midnight I got down to use the bathroom and I didn't want to get back up there. Your bed just looked so much more inviting. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, but you also can't complain if I call start calling you Cuddles again," Amy teased.

"It's early. I want to go back to sleep. Are you getting up?" Sheldon asked.

"No. I was just startled by the large man suddenly in my bed," Amy said. She turned over and closed her eyes to go back to sleep. This time it wasn't quite as easy to fall asleep, but listening to Sheldon's light snore right behind her helped lull her back to sleep.

When Amy woke again Sheldon was no longer there. She looked at the top bunk, but he wasn't there either. She wondered where he was until she heard the shower running in their small bathroom. It turned off and he reappeared a few minutes later. His hair was wet and he was barefoot. She watched him put on socks and shoes and run a towel though his hair.

"Your hair looks sexy like that. You should leave it," Amy told him. He just rolled his eyes at her as he pulled a comb through it.

"I was thinking that since your motion sickness get worse when you are walking around, I can run down to the dining car and bring you back breakfast. Do you know what you want?"

"I'll just have whatever you're having. I didn't study the breakfast menu. Thanks, Sheldon."

"Okay. I'll be right back," Sheldon said with a quick kiss on her lips. Amy shivered a little bit at the way he casually kissed her. Every other kiss between them had been an event, but this was different. It was new and strangely intimate. Especially, after he admitted that he hadn't even thought about kissing anyone until a couple of years before. It suddenly seemed so easy for him.

When Sheldon came back with two boxes containing French toast and two bottles of orange juice, Amy had showered and was reading on her bed. They ate together in their small room.

"It's not French toast day," Sheldon said as they ate.

"No?"

"I felt like a change. I don't know what is happening to me, but I blame you. You are a vixen."

Amy smiled at his tone. He was accusing her of something, but she knew he was the one who was changing himself. Amy might be the catalyst, but Sheldon didn't change anything if he didn't want to.

"What do you want to do today?" Amy asked Sheldon as he collected the refuse from their breakfast and placed in the bin in the hall.

"I had planned that we could walk around the train for a while, but I don't think that will work out very well. Or if you think you are up to it, we could enjoy the view from one of the more open cars?"

Amy was feeling pretty good, so she stood up and then got on her tip toes and placed a kiss on Sheldon's lips. "Okay. If you have me alone in this room and you want to go look at rocks outside, then let's do that. Though it sounds an awful lot like something a geologist would do."

"You make a compelling argument. What do you suggest?"

"I was thinking about kissing an incredibly handsome physicist and maybe letting him get to second base," Amy said with a wink. She enjoyed the way that Sheldon swallowed hard at her suggestion.

"You mean me, right?"

"Of course I mean you," Amy said lightly smacking his arm.

"Just checking," Sheldon said as he pressed his lips to Amy's. He was enjoying the syrup sweet taste of her tongue. He didn't know if it was her suggestion or if his hands were working on their own, but Sheldon noticed that he was unbuttoning her sweater. He was pulling it off of her shoulders when the train came to a stop. It sent them both stumbling forward. There was usually an announcement before each stop, so this one took them by surprise.

Sheldon put his hands on Amy's arms to stabilize her. He finished taking off her sweater and laid it on the chair, but he didn't start kissing her again. Instead he looked at his watch.

"We aren't supposed to be in Albuquerque for another thirty minutes."

"Attention passengers: We have arrived in Albuquerque early, but there is a problem with our engine. We will be here for approximately three hours while things are fixed. We apologize for the inconvenience, but feel free to get off the train and see the city. You can sign up to get an alert to let you know exactly when we are leaving again," said a voice coming through the speakers in the room.

"Should we get off of the train?" Sheldon asked.

"It would be nice to get some fresh air on solid ground, but I was enjoying where this was going," Amy said as she ran her hand across Sheldon's chest.

"I concur, but we still have a number of hours on this train once it gets going again. I think we can go out for a little while if you want," Sheldon told her.

"Okay," Amy turned to grab her sweater, but Sheldon had already picked it up and was holding it out to help her put it back on. She put it on and rebuttoned it. Sheldon watched every move she made, and took her hand and they went out into the city. They each signed up to get a call on their phone letting them know when the train was going to start moving again.

Because they didn't have any plans and they didn't know the city, Amy and Sheldon just wandered around for a while. It wasn't Sheldon's kind of afternoon, but Amy was enjoying the leisurely time with him. She thought it was very funny that he had spent so much time planning this weekend, and it hadn't turned out anything like she thought it would. He had been very good about not complaining other than the bed thing.

Amy dragged Sheldon into a clothing store and then he dragged her into a store that sold toys and action figures. They also found a pharmacy to get Amy some motion sickness medication. They both agreed to go into a bookstore and then they started looking for somewhere to have lunch. It had been an hour and a half since they had left the train. The fresh air and non-moving ground made Amy feel great. She was hungry even though they had had breakfast late.

They just stopped into a restaurant near the train station. Sheldon did several minutes of research with his phone before he would go in, but he decided it would be adequate. He recommended several things to Amy, but she decided to just get the house specialty.

They lost themselves to their meal and the time together. Sheldon wasn't used to enjoying so much time around someone else. He used to only have that much fun alone. Even Leonard and the guys got tiring after a while, but he could spend hours with Amy without needing a break.

Their waitress was an older woman. She dropped off the check and said, "It's always so nice to see a couple so in love."

Amy was mildly mortified by her statement. Penny was right, she was too obvious about her feeling toward Sheldon. She silently prayed that Sheldon wouldn't freak out on her or the waitress. Sheldon just looked at the waitress and said, "Thank you, ma'am." That polite Texan boy making another appearance.

Once the waitress was gone their phones started ringing at the same time. They each answered them and received notice that the train was going to start moving again in twenty minutes.

They paid their bill and hurried back to their train with ten minutes to spare.

"That was unexpectedly pleasant," Sheldon said. "Leonard is going to be so jealous about this Golden Age Superman figure that I found in that toy store."

Amy took off her sweater and sat down on the bed. She'd taken some of the medication they had bought while Sheldon looked at his purchases. She was hoping that Sheldon would put the toys down and join her, but he was pretty focused. Amy ended up falling asleep on the bottom bunk while she waited for Sheldon.


	10. Chapter 10

Sheldon finally turned back to Amy after he made sure that he put all of his new figures away. Amy was fast asleep on the lower bunk. He hadn't even noticed that she had sat down, but there she was, sprawled across the bed with her shoes still on. She didn't seem that tired when they were out, but maybe the anti-motion sickness medicine had drowsiness as a side effect. He looked at the box, and sure enough, drowsiness was written under side effects. She's either going to be sick or tired for this whole trip. Sheldon was worried that he had picked the worst possible vacation for them both.

_Should I wake her up?_ Sheldon through, but in the end he decided to just take off her shoes and put a blanket over her. If she wasn't back up in time for dinner he would wake her up then. He would just read instead. He brought enough comic books to cover at least a few hours.

He was trying to focus on the adventures of The Flash, but every time Amy moved, Sheldon would look up over his comic book at watch her. After a while, he gave up and alternated between looking at Amy and looking out the window. When Amy did wake up an hour later, she looked over at Sheldon and he was staring at her.

"How long was I asleep?" Amy asked as she sat up. She felt bad about sleeping their weekend away. It was the second time that she had fallen asleep unexpectedly in the last twenty-four hours. She hoped she wasn't getting sick.

"An hour and seventeen minutes," Sheldon said without looking at his watch.

"Sorry I fell asleep again."

"It was a side effect of the medication you took," Sheldon said. He was still just looking at her from his chair.

"Well, I'm awake now. What should we do?"

"If you still want to kiss a physicist, I know where you can find one," Sheldon said shyly.

"That sounds like a brilliant plan. Just give me a minute to brush my teeth."

Sheldon got up and followed her into the small bathroom. He pulled his own toothbrush from its UV case. There wasn't really enough room for both of them in there, but they squeezed together to quickly brush away the remnants of their lunch. Amy was a little distracted by the way Sheldon was nearly pressed right up against her in order to fit in front of the sink.

"I'm glad you thought of that," Sheldon said after he spit out his second round of mouthwash.

"Me too," Amy said as she pushed him back out of the bathroom and over to the bed. They sat down and Amy was nervous again. She was trying to be sexy and she hoped that Sheldon didn't notice that her hands were shaking a little. Amy knew that she wanted Sheldon just as surely that he wanted her, but that didn't make it less scary. They were still both so new to all of this that they rarely knew exactly what to do. Once they got into it, things usually went fine. Amy tried to remember this when she pressed her lips to Sheldon's. She liked that his hands seemed to find her body of their own accord.

Sheldon thought that he was getting pretty good at kissing Amy. He wouldn't admit it, but he had spent time researching techniques for kissing. It didn't make as much sense when he was reading about it or looking at diagrams, but in practice, everything was clicking. At least at first, then it felt like all of the knowledge fell away and his mind became a blank. His mouth and hands seemed to know what to do without him even thinking about it. It was strangely peaceful to just be in that moment.

It also meant that he wasn't fully aware that his hands were currently busy unbuttoning Amy's blouse. Sure, there was part of him that knew exactly what he was doing. It was the same part that was frustrated when it came upon a t-shirt under that blouse. It was the same part that growled, "Dammit, woman. Why do you wear so many layers?"

"Look who's talking," Amy said as she pulled at Sheldon's t-shirts. She couldn't get them up over his head and it was suddenly the most important thing that they were removed.

Sheldon pulled his own t-shirts off over his head. Then he put his mouth back on Amy's neck. She let out a soft moan and Sheldon catalogued the noise and the location of his mouth on her body for future use. He was enjoying it so much that he didn't want to stop. The only thought that presented itself was, _don't stop._

Then Sheldon suddenly jumped up. Amy's t-shirt had ridden halfway up her torso, and she pulled it down. She sat up and looked at Sheldon. She wanted to cry at the look of panic on his face.

"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Amy asked frantically.

Sheldon just shook his head and closed his eyes. He looked close to a panic attack, and Amy didn't know what to do.

He just started saying, "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry."

Amy didn't know if touching him would help, but she needed to figure out something. She stood up and started wrapping her arms around him. He didn't push her away. Instead, he put his arms around her and put his head on top of hers.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

"Don't be sorry. Just tell me what's going on," Amy told him softly.

"I was losing control. My hands were moving on their own. I didn't tell them to remove your shirt. I didn't want to stop. I still don't want to stop," Sheldon sounded close to sobbing as he clung to Amy.

"Sheldon, it's okay. You obviously had control over yourself. You stopped yourself when you got uncomfortable. It's okay if you were uncomfortable. We've done so much in such a short time. If you need more time, it's okay."

Sheldon just held on to Amy like he would fly away if he let go. She could feel him shaking his head, but she couldn't see him. The side of her face was pressed to his bare chest. She could hear his heart pounding in his chest. His behavior reminded Amy of that day in the car after the zoo. She knew that she needed to help him before she lost him to the anxiety.

"Sheldon, look at me," Amy said as she pulled back a little.

Sheldon looked down into her eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong. You weren't hurting me. You weren't pushing me too far. I'm certain that if I had told you to stop, that you would have with no hesitation. I know this is scary because we haven't ever done it before, but we are okay," Amy told him calmly. Sheldon nodded and relaxed his grip on Amy a little bit. "How about we take a break and go to dinner?" Amy suggested.

Sheldon thought it was too early for dinner, but once he checked his watch he realized he should have had dinner a half an hour ago. "Okay," he told her quietly.

Amy gave him a big smile and handed him his shirts. He pulled them back on and combed his hair. She found her blouse and pulled it on and buttoned it up and then put back on her sweater. Sheldon reached out and touched Amy's hair lightly.

"Oh, I suppose I should brush it. Penny says that make-out hair is tacky," Amy said when he touched it.

"I was just thinking that it looks nice," Sheldon said. He still wasn't acting quite normal, so Amy was just pretending that everything was okay. Amy still ran her hairbrush through her hair. Then she took Sheldon's hand and let him lead her to the dining car.

The medication was working well. It was the first time that Amy managed to walk through the halls without feeling sick for the first time since she had been on the train. They were seated quickly and Amy was looking over the menu. She realized that it was the last dinner they were going to have on the train.

"I've enjoyed this so much. We should go on a longer trip next time," Amy told Sheldon.

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

"No. When I don't feel ill from the motion of the train, I find this whole thing so classically romantic. I've read so many books where people have traveled this way, but I never imagined I would enjoy it so much. Thank you for this," Amy said.

"You're welcome. Even if it isn't your intention to make me feel better, I'm glad that you are enjoying yourself. I've been having a good time too."

Amy was happy that Sheldon was acting okay again, and once dinner was over she asked him to show her around the train.

"We've been here for over a day and all I've really seen is our room," Amy told him. She was a little nervous to go back to the room with him because she didn't want him to panic on her again.

Sheldon agreed and guided Amy through many of the cars. They found one of the cars with big windows to show off the scenery as they drove though the desert. They were now traveling through the plains and it was night, so the car was nearly empty. There wasn't much to see out the windows. Sheldon and Amy sat down on one of the bench seats.

They looked out at the shadows of hills and at the stars. Amy wished that she was sitting on Sheldon's lap again, but there were a couple people about.

"Okay. Do you want to go back to our room now?" Sheldon asked when he noticed the time. It was nearly his bedtime.

Amy had maintained a careful non contact distance since they went to dinner, but Sheldon grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her seat as they left. He had noticed and appreciated her effort to give him space, but he didn't want space anymore.

"I'm sleeping on the bottom bunk," Sheldon told Amy as he unlocked the door to their room. "You may either join me or sleep on the top bunk, but I will never get any sleep up there."

"I'll sleep on the top bunk," Amy said. She thought about sleeping in the same bed as Sheldon, but she was worried about pushing him too hard.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," Sheldon said.

"I've never once in my life been afraid of you. I've been afraid _for_ you. I've been afraid of what you are doing to me, but I've never been afraid _of_ you. I trust you. I just wanted to give you some space."

"I don't want space. Not from you."

Amy just shook her head and went to change into her nightgown. She had just grabbed one from her suitcase, but it wasn't until she was in the small bathroom that she realized that she had grabbed one of the new ones. She decided to just put it on rather than go back out and get her flannel one. It wasn't outrageous. It was just a shorter nightgown than she was used to. Maybe a little exposure to her body would make Sheldon a little more comfortable with it.

When Amy returned to the room, Sheldon was already in bed with the light off. She could only see the shadow version of him, but she could see that he held the blankets up so that Amy could climb in. She couldn't help herself and got into the bed with Sheldon.


	11. Chapter 11

Sheldon put the blanket down over Amy and she snuggled into his side. She wasn't sure why she did this, but he was there and he was warm and she was tired.

"What are you doing?" Sheldon asked.

"Cuddling you, Cuddles," Amy told him. "I woke up with you half on top of me this morning. I can put an arm across your chest if I want."

"Fine. I'm only allowing this because the bed is narrow and therefore necessitates that we be closer than normal," Sheldon said, but he was pleased that she was there. He put his hand on hers.

They fell asleep like that. Sheldon woke up in the middle of the night and he had to go to the bathroom, but he was pinned in by Amy. She wasn't holding him anymore, but unlike the night before, she was on the outside of the bed. Sheldon was up against a wall on his other side. He tried some mental exercises, but they weren't working. He was going to have to get up.

He propped himself up on his side and stretched his leg over Amy's body. She was on her back. Sheldon put his knee down so that he had one knee on each side of her hips. Balance wasn't one of Sheldon's strong suits, so once he started moving his other leg over Amy's body, he slipped off of the bed. If he had just put his legs down to catch his fall, he would have been fine, but instead Sheldon fell onto his knees. He also grabbed Amy around the waist to try to stop himself from falling.

Amy was startled to wake up to her boyfriend half pulling her out of bed. He was on his knees next to her like he was praying and his hands were on her waist.

"What the hell, Sheldon?" Amy asked.

"I was going to go to the bathroom. I was trying to not wake you up," Sheldon said.

"You failed," Amy said grumpily.

Sheldon got up to go to the bathroom and Amy sat up. She got up and started climbing into the bed above her. She didn't want to wait for Sheldon to come back to go back to sleep. She was about halfway up the ladder when Sheldon came back out. He could see her in her new nightgown clearly with the light from the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Going to bed. We can try sleeping together tomorrow. This is too much work for me," Amy said.

"I'm sorry," Sheldon said. He watched her climb up to the bed. He thought it was a pity that he hadn't noticed the distinct lack of clothing until she was leaving his bed. Then he shook his head and remembered his lack of control earlier. Maybe it was better this way. He got into the bottom bunk and went back to sleep. The bed was cold and lonely without Amy in it. It wasn't a nice feeling.

Sheldon woke up and took a shower. When he came out of the bathroom he could see that Amy was just reading on the top bunk. His height put him slightly above her as he stood next to the bed. She looked over at him.

Sheldon's hair was messy and Amy reached over to touch it, but pulled back at the last second. Instead, she sat up and put her legs off the edge of the bed. Sheldon just stared at her for a moment. She had forgotten about how exposed her legs were until she caught him looking at them.

"I was going to ask you if you could help me down, but I'm not sure you can handle it," Amy teased. She liked the way Sheldon was looking at her. He had a way of making her feel pretty without saying a word.

Sheldon put his arms around Amy and pulled her off the bed. Once her feet were on the floor, he didn't let her go. He felt the fabric between his fingers. "I like this one. The flannel is nice too, but this one suits you."

"I'm glad you like it because I have another one just like it in my suitcase. I sort of bought them for you."

"For me?"

"Well, I bought them for me, but I thought you might like the way I look in it. It feels a little silly and vain to admit."

"It isn't silly or vain," Sheldon said while looking Amy straight in the eyes. His gaze was so intense that she had to look away after a moment.

"I guess I should get dressed. What are we doing today?"

"We're on the train until three. No, wait. We're on the train until six because of the delay yesterday."

"Is that going to interfere with the block labeled 'surprise' that goes from seven until nine tonight?" Amy asked as she gathered her things.

"I hope not. We are going to have to get ready here, check in at the hotel and get to the... place in under an hour. It's cutting it closer than I would like. As for the rest of the time on the train, I think that we should take a long breakfast. I refuse to call it brunch. Then because your medicine will probably make you tired, we could come back here and take a nap together. After that we'll need to make sure we've gathered our belongings and are ready to disembark as soon as the train comes to a stop," Sheldon suggested.

"That sounds perfect," Amy said.

They enjoyed their breakfast together. Then, just as Sheldon thought, Amy was tired as they were getting back to the room. Amy crawled into the bed and Sheldon got in right behind her. Sheldon was getting increasingly fond of sleeping next to Amy. All in all it was a pretty uneventful day on the train. At five, Sheldon told Amy that they were going to dinner and that they should get ready. He made it sound fancy, so she pulled out the dress that Penny had made her buy. She realized that Penny probably made her purchase the dress specifically for that dinner.

It was a black dress that fell just above her knees. She brought a pair of tights to wear with the dress, but Sheldon's obvious fondness for her legs made her pass on them. Once Amy was dressed and put on a little makeup, she walked back into the main room to see a shirtless Sheldon Cooper getting dressed himself.

"Oh, sorry," Amy told him and she stepped back into the bathroom. She could feel her face burning. She didn't know why because it wasn't particularly scandalous to see him like that. She waited until Sheldon knocked on the bathroom door to go back out to the room. He was in his plaid suit. Amy had heard Penny and Bernie make fun of that suit a number of times, but Amy couldn't help but find it a little sexy. Or maybe it was just the man in the suit whom she found sexy.

The train finally arrived in Chicago. They gathered their bags, and Sheldon helped Amy carry her bags to the taxi. Sheldon gave the address of the hotel to the driver. It wasn't far to the hotel. They rushed in and checked into the hotel. They ran their suitcases up to the room. Sheldon wouldn't let Amy see the room, so she stayed in the hall while he took them in.

Then they ran back downstairs. There was only ten minutes until seven and according to Sheldon, the restaurant was across town. In Sheldon's original plan, there was plenty of time to get to the restaurant, but the train delay complicated things.

It was seven thirty by the time they got to the restaurant. It was cute and romantic and Amy loved it. It was also Saturday night and very busy. Sheldon gave the man his name, but the host only shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Sir. It's our policy to give away reservations after twenty minutes."

"Is there anything I can do? Our train was late," Sheldon asked. He pulled out his wallet.

The host dropped the politely clipped tone. "I'm sorry, man. Normally, I could take a bribe, but we are completely full tonight. If you stuck around until ten or eleven, I might be able to fit you in."

Sheldon looked a little crushed. It was obvious that he had done a lot of research to find this place. Amy just took his hand and they left. Sheldon wanted to take a cab back to the hotel, but Amy thought it would be nice to walk down the street.

It was unseasonably warm and Amy didn't want the evening to end like that. Sheldon complained, but Amy took his hand and dragged him down the street. She didn't have a goal in mind, but she stopped four doors down from the restaurant they had just been turned away from.

In front of her was a small Chinese restaurant. It wasn't busy like the other businesses on the street. For some reason, Amy was drawn to it.

"Let's go in," she said.

"Amy, I can't even find any reviews for this place. Let's just go back to the hotel."

"Sheldon, you go back to the hotel. I dressed up for this. I don't want to eat room service. I'll be back in an hour or two. I'll be fine," Amy said. She wasn't mad, but she didn't want to eat at the hotel. She wanted to eat at this little restaurant that she had never heard of before.

"I'm not leaving you here," Sheldon said.

"This is like the gas thing again. I'm an adult. I somehow survived twenty-nine years before I even met you. I can have dinner alone. I'll be fine," Amy told him. She was a little frustrated by his attitude.

"Fine, but if I get food poisoning, you have to take care of me," Sheldon finally acquiesced.

"You know I would have anyway, but thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, let's go in before I change my mind."

They were sat at a booth by the window. They could see the people walking by, but the people outside couldn't really see them. It was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. There were two other couples chatting quietly from their tables.

Amy let Sheldon order for the two of them. Getting him inside had been a big enough battle. Sheldon was pleased that they had tangerine chicken. He also ordered them dumplings and soup. The food was some of the best that Sheldon had ever had, but it was getting tiring to try so many new things. Only Amy made it okay.

The fortune cookies came at the end of the meal. "Did you know that fortune cookies are actually actually based on a Japanese tradition rather than a Chinese one? They are largely an American invention though." Sheldon asked Amy.

"I did not know that," Amy said as she cracked her cookie open. She ate half of it as she read the fortune. It said, "You will find true love right in front of you." Amy smiled and started to put it in her purse.

"What does it say?" Sheldon asked. He was curious why she was saving it.

Amy blushed and looked up at him. "Um," was all she could say. Sheldon reached across the table and took it from her.

He read it and then slid his over to her. She picked it up and it said, "Open your eyes to what you have."

"Are you ready to go back to the hotel now?" Sheldon asked. He picked up both of their fortunes and hoped that Amy didn't notice when he slid them both into his own pocket.

"Yeah. I think I am." Sheldon took her hand and they left together after Sheldon paid the bill.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I don't believe that this chapter is explicit enough to garner a change of rating. If you disagree, please let me know. I will change it without hesitation if anyone contacts me about it. Thanks for reading. I love you guys. **

* * *

The couple caught a taxi back to their hotel. They rode the elevator in silence and Amy followed Sheldon to the room as he unlocked the door. He opened it and let Amy go in first. She could see why he didn't want to let her in when they dropped off their luggage. The room was beautiful but cozy. She didn't ever want to leave.

The bed was big with soft looking linens. She slipped off her shoes, ran in, and jumped onto the bed. It was comfortable, and she almost called Sheldon over. Instead, she got up and noticed the roses on the table. There was a card that indicated that they were for her from Sheldon.

She ran over to him and kissed him on the lips without even thinking about it. It was the first time they had kissed since his melt down the day before. Sheldon didn't hesitate to kiss Amy back, but he did pull back after a moment to ask, "So you like it?"

"It's gorgeous. I love it. Thank you," Amy told him. He leaned down to kiss her again.

"I think I'm going to change for bed. Could you get the zipper?" Amy asked as she turned her back to Sheldon and pulled her hair to the side to give him access.

Sheldon reached out with slightly shaking hands to unzip her dress. Amy held it up with her right hand as she walked into the bathroom with her nightgown in her left hand. She washed the makeup off of her face and changed. She looked at her reflection and tried to see what she knew Sheldon saw.

Sheldon had removed his jacket and tie and was sitting on the edge of the bed when Amy returned. He thought she was more beautiful without the makeup and the new dress. Amy sat a couple of feet away from him on the bed.

The way they were sitting reminded Amy of another night that had been burned into her memory. "Do you want to erotically caress my nose?" she joked.

"What?"

"The Dungeons and Dragons game. That was your move. I was making a joke," Amy explained.

Still, Sheldon moved closer, removed Amy's glasses, and ran a finger along the side of her nose and down to her lips. Sheldon stood up and put Amy's glasses on the bedside table. He started unbuttoning his own shirt, but Amy stood up and knocked his hands away. "I get to do that," she told him.

She finished unbuttoning his shirt and pushed it off of his shoulders. Then she took it to the closet and put it on a hanger. It would bother Sheldon if it had just been thrown on the floor. He took off his undershirt and folded it while she did this.

Amy let Sheldon lay her on the bed. He kissed her lips and her neck and her collar bones. She shivered as he ran his tongue along her throat.

"Stop," Amy said suddenly. Sheldon used his arms to push himself away from her in a way that he was still balanced over her, but he wasn't touching her.

"Did I hurt you? Are you okay?" he asked frantically.

"I'm great, and now you know that you are in control of what you are doing. Please continue."

Sheldon gave her a quick glare, but he did go back to kissing her. He felt a little better that he could stop if she wanted him to. He loved that she always understood exactly what he needed even when he didn't.

Amy felt Sheldon pulling at her nightgown. She was terrified, but she let Sheldon pull it up over her head. Amy was sure that she had seen looks of caring, of love, of admiration in Sheldon's eyes, but this was the first time that Sheldon had ever looked at her with lust. She knew without a doubt that he wanted her. He wasn't doing this just for her, but for himself too.

"You are so beautiful," Sheldon murmured in her ear, and with that most of Amy's fear melted away. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything. Although, it almost broke her heart when he got up from the bed. She thought he was panicking on her again until she realized that he was removing his pants and grabbing a little foil packet from the box in his suitcase.

Much of the rest of what happened next was a blur of emotions and sensations that neither Amy nor Sheldon had experienced before. It was awkward and quiet and occasionally uncomfortable. It was also sweet and slow and, much to Amy's surprise, Sheldon had a very good idea of what he was doing. His eyes kept coming back to hers, and each time, it sent a thrill through Amy. It didn't last long, but it was better than Amy or Sheldon could have ever expected.

When it was over, Sheldon got out of the bed and pulled Amy into the shower with him. Amy was afraid of how clinical he was as he washed her body and then his. She thought that he would clean up after they were done, but she didn't expect him to make her join him. Amy tried to wash and then dress herself, but Sheldon wouldn't let her. She could have done it if she put up any kind of a fuss, but she just let him clean her.

Then he put on his own pajamas quickly and led her back to the bed. He was acting so strangely, but it wasn't the panic that Amy could recognize. It wasn't until he had tucked them both into the bed and he had his arms around her that Sheldon finally spoke. "I'm sorry," he told her.

"What on Earth are you sorry about now?" Amy asked. For a man who never apologized, he sure was saying that he was sorry a lot during this weekend.

"That I hurt you, that I wasn't very good, that I made us shower before I could hold you like this, that I'm not normal."

She finally understood. He felt guilty about what they had done. "I'll admit that it was a little uncomfortable at points, but you never hurt me. Actually, I expected more pain. I don't want normal. I want you; normal or not. Plus, you were excellent. Honestly, how did you know how to touch me like that?" Amy said.

"I finally read that book that Leonard and Penny got me. It had some suggestions," Sheldon said. He still seemed nervous, but he was also proud that Amy thought he did a good job.

"Please don't regret what we just did. Even if it never happens again, I will never regret it. I love you, Sheldon." Amy told him. She hadn't quite meant to tell him that, but it was out. She wasn't going to take it back. It was true after all.

Sheldon looked a little stunned. He opened his mouth and then closed it about five times. "I don't regret it. My only regret is that my cowardice stopped us from making love before now."

Amy didn't fail to notice that Sheldon didn't return the "I love you," but she tried to not let it get to her. She knew he would have trouble saying it. And he did say "making love" instead of coitus. It was a good step forward. _It's okay. I know he loves me_, Amy thought. She could feel Sheldon starting to relax into sleep when she heard it. It was breathy and barely a whisper, but she heard it. Sheldon said, "I love you, Amy."

Sheldon woke up late, but Amy was still in his arms. He cuddled her closer to his chest and she woke up. He was surprised by how much he felt like the same man as he was before. There was a part of him who thought he would be completely changed by having sex with Amy. Instead, he thought about his schedule and about the museum and about making their plane that night. Sure, he thought about Amy too, but she wasn't the only thing on his mind.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Amy asked.

"Good. I've slept longer than I wanted to, but I suppose that should be expected since we stayed up so late last night. How are you?"

"A little sore, to be honest," Amy admitted.

"Are you okay? Do you want to skip what we have planned for this afternoon?"

"No. I just... can we not..?"

"You think I'm some sort of sex crazed monster after we do it once. I feel bad about that now. I think that perhaps we should have moved a little slower. I promise you that I can handle going a full day without sex. In fact, I believe I will be able to go as many days as you need without it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it and I fully intend on us doing it again, but it won't be until you are ready and comfortable."

"So, what do we have planned for this afternoon?" Amy asked. Her words were a little muffled because she had hugged Sheldon and was speaking to his chest.

"We are going to the Field Museum. I thought it would be a nice surprise while we were in town. It will be a lot of walking though, so if you want to do something else, I understand."

"No. It sounds perfect," Amy told Sheldon. "You know me so well."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Last chapter. Thanks for sticking this one out. I hope that you enjoyed it. I'm sure I'll be back with another story soon enough. 3**

* * *

The museum was big and beautiful and Amy was excited to go inside. She chattered excitedly at Sheldon while they waited in line. He thought it was cute. Sheldon put his arm around Amy. He no longer felt any hesitancy when it came to touching her. Touching Amy's leg was easier than touching his own leg.

Amy was glad that Sheldon was being so attentive. She was so worried that he would be distant after what they had done. Or that he might lock himself away with antibiotics trying to get rid of whatever germs they might have shared. She was also glad that she had learned to stop pushing Sheldon so hard. He dealt with everything so much better when she let him move at his own pace.

They wandered the museum at a leisurely pace. They had four hours before they had to leave for the airport and nothing else planned. Sheldon kept them looking at the dinosaurs for longer than Amy would have liked, but she made him look at the Egyptology exhibit longer than he liked. He thought the mummies were scary.

They stopped for a snack and Sheldon said, "I don't know why you liked looking at that Egyptology exhibit so much. It was creepy."

"You kept us with those dinosaurs for over a half an hour. They are just gigantic birds and you weren't afraid of them."

"But they were dead."

"So were the mummies," Amy shot back.

"There was no chance that the dinosaurs were going to come back to life and kill us."

"The mummies aren't going to come back to life."

"That's your opinion," Sheldon said with a tone of finality. Amy wasn't going to argue with him about it. It wasn't worth it. His eccentricities were cute, and she loved him.

There was a lot that they hadn't seen, so they continued to wander the museum. The collection of animals was quite extensive. It took them another hour before they looked at everything.

Sheldon checked his watch. "I think we're going to need to leave soon. Is there anything you else you want to see before we leave?"

"No. I think I'm ready to go, but I really can't thank you enough for this weekend, Sheldon. You could not have provided me with a better vacation. I almost regret that we have to go home again," Amy told him.

"Me too. Though, I will be glad to get home to my routine and my spot."

Amy wanted to find a restroom before they left, and Sheldon went into the gift shop while he waited. There was a small stuffed monkey wearing a t-shirt bearing the logo of the museum. He quickly bought it and placed it in his messenger bag before finding Amy again. He thought it would be a nice surprise and a nice reminder of the trip.

They made it the airport with plenty of time to spare. They checked their bags, went through security, and were waiting for their plane to start boarding. Amy had her head on Sheldon's shoulder and he was tracing designs on to the tights covering her knee with his finger. She could tell it was some kind of equation, but she didn't know which one.

"Ready to go back to work tomorrow?" Amy asked. It brought Sheldon back from whatever day dream he had been lost in.

"Yes. I suppose I am. This weekend has seemed very long in some ways and very short in others."

"I know what you mean. I miss my lab, but I think tomorrow while I'm there, I'll miss you," Amy said.

Sheldon turned and kissed the top of her head. "Maybe we should have more date nights. Do you want to go out to dinner with me this Thursday?"

"I'd love to," Amy said.

"That makes another addition I need to make to the Relationship Agreement," he remarked.

"I forgot about the Agreement. We've broken it a number of times this weekend. How much trouble am I in?" Amy asked.

"Well, just in as much trouble as you get in for not thoroughly reading your email. I put the Agreement on hold for the weekend, which you approved."

"Oh, yes. I remember that," Amy said even thought she didn't remember it at all.

Sheldon didn't get a chance to call her out because there was an announcement that their plane was boarding. They got up and onto the plane. Their flight was uneventful other than Sheldon gripping Amy's hand a little too hard when the plane took off. He gave her the monkey, so she forgave him.

Leonard was waiting for them when the plane landed. "Did you guys have a good weekend?" Leonard asked as he helped Amy load her bag into the trunk of his car.

"We did," Sheldon told him.

"Great. Amy, everyone is meeting at our place for dinner. Penny or I can drive you back home after dinner if you'd like to join us. I'm sure that the girls would like to hear about your weekend," Leonard said as he pulled away from the airport.

Amy hesitated. She wanted to go home, but she also wanted to spend more time with Sheldon. The more time she spent with him, the harder it was to leave. Plus, she didn't know what she was going to tell Penny and Bernadette. She looked at Sheldon, but he was just looking out the window of the car.

"Um. Sure. That sounds good," she finally said.

Sheldon insisted that Amy bring her suitcase even though she didn't know why. The day had suddenly become very long and Amy was wishing that she had gone home after all. She could fill the girls in on what happened over the weekend at the next girls' night.

It wasn't until she saw everyone that her energy was renewed. They all seemed pleased to see her. Amy felt at home with her friends. Sheldon put her bags in his room and they enjoyed their dinner together. Sheldon told them about the train in excruciating detail. Amy talked about shopping in Albuquerque. Neither of them talked about the night in Chicago.

It wasn't until Amy was in the kitchen getting a bottle of water that Penny and Bernadette cornered her. "Did you guys do it?" Penny asked.

Amy blushed and looked down. That was the only conformation they needed.

"Oh my God. I can't believe the Shamy had sex. How was it?" Penny asked.

Amy tried to look over Bernadette to see Sheldon, but he wasn't there. She didn't think any of the other guys would save her, so she decided to just tell the truth. "It was good. It was actually a lot better than I would have expected," Amy told them.

"Okay. That is officially all I want to know about it. Sheldon is like a brother to me, and knowing any more about his sex life will creep me out so badly that I will never sleep again," Penny said after she processed Amy's words.

Amy used this as a chance to escape from the girls. They might change their minds and want more details after all. She went back to the couch, and Sheldon wasn't there. After a few minutes he asked Leonard about it.

"He left with his laundry basket about a half an hour ago," Leonard told her.

Amy decided to go downstairs and find him. He was standing alone in the laundry room leaning against one of the dryers.

"Hey," Amy said shyly when she came in.

"Hey," Sheldon responded.

"Don't be mad at me, but Penny knows. She asked me point blank, and I'm a bad liar."

"It's okay. The guys know, too. That's why I came down here. Well, that and I didn't do my laundry yesterday," Sheldon admitted.

Amy stayed down there with Sheldon until the clothes were dry. At some point, Raj, Bernadette, and Howard came in to say goodbye. Clearly everyone knew exactly where they were, but they were giving them some privacy. Bernadette hugged Amy and told her, "I'm glad that you guys had a good weekend away. It sounds like you needed it. Let me know if you need anything."

Amy nodded and then waved to the guys as they left. She was glad that they were being so nice about it. Part of her thought they would be mocked and teased. Sheldon started pulling things out of the dryer to be folded, and Amy was surprised to see her things among the pile.

"You washed my clothes?"

"Yes. Well, except for the dress. It said 'dry clean only.'"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now you don't have to go home tonight," Sheldon said. He didn't really believe that Amy would stay, but he hoped that she might.

"Good because I'm not really ready to give you up yet," Amy said.

They folded their clothes and returned to 4A. Leonard and Penny were cleaning up from dinner. They looked up to see their friends come back.

"Hey, Ames. Do you want me to drive you back home now?" Penny asked.

"You said you wanted no more details, so I will leave you with a simple, 'no.' Though, I will need a ride home before work tomorrow if either of you might be so obliged."

"Oh. Leonard, why don't you come sleep at my place tonight?" Penny asked.

"That's a good idea," Leonard said. They finished washing the last couple of dishes and left together.

Sheldon looked at Amy, set down his laundry basket full of clean clothes, and asked, "Would you like to make out in my spot?"

"Absolutely," Amy replied before climbing onto Sheldon's lap.


End file.
